Strain concentration factor at field joints for offshore concrete coated pipelines – Literature review

This paper introduces a literature review of the accomplished research to calculate the strain concentration factor which shall be considered during the concrete coated subsea pipelines design. The strain concentration results from the discontinuity of the concrete coating which is applied to pipe joints to enhance the pipeline stability on the seabed. The paper introduces a definition of the strain concentration factor and a conclusive explanation of the work performed to calculate the strain concentration factor using the following three methods: full-scale tests, analytical models, and numerical models. The paper also introduces other works addressing the contribution of concrete coating to pipe stiffness. Literature indicates that whilst full-scale tests produce the most accurate values for the Strain Concentration Factor, due to cost implications, the method is limited to a small range of pipe sizes and coating properties. Although the analytical method produces acceptable results, prediction of strain concentration factor due to concrete coating sliding and beyond steel yield stress and concrete crushing limit is unpredictable. The numerical method using FE analysis indicates acceptable Strain Concentration factor values, however, careful consideration shall be taken due to possible modelling inaccuracies. The review shows that the strain concentration factor is mainly influenced by the thickness and strength of the concrete coating as well as the shear capacity of the external corrosion coating, whilst due to its low impact, the effect of the concrete coating reinforcement is not considered for most of the analysis due to low significance.