Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Fiberglass Reinforced Flexible Pipes Under Bending

Fiberglass reinforced flexible pipe (FRFP) is a kind of composite thermoplastic pipe, which has many advantages compared to boned flexible pipes. This paper describes an analysis of the mechanical behavior of FRFP under bending. The bending behavior of FRFP was investigated by experimental, analytical and numerical methods. Firstly, this paper presents experimental studies of three 10-layer FRFP in a typical four-point bending test. Curvature-bending moment relations were recorded during the test. Then, based on the nonlinear ring theory and the principle of virtual work, a simplified method was proposed to study the mechanical behavior of FRFP. In addition, a finite element model (FEM) including reinforced layers and high density polyethylene (HDPE) layers was established to simulate the HDPE layers and reinforced layers, respectively. The result of Curvature-bending moment relations obtained from three methods agree well with each other, which proves that the simplified analytical model and FEM are accurate and reliable. The conclusions of this paper could be useful to manufacturing engineers.