Study on reinforced thermoplastic pipe under combined tension and internal pressure

Since there are increasing applications for reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) in the oil and gas industry, the mechanical behavior of RTP under various loading conditions has drawn much attention. The combined load of tension and internal pressure should be considered in procedures of RTP’s installation and operation. In this paper, an analytical model derived from Knapp’s optical cable model and finite element method (FEM) are presented to study the behavior of RTP and the reinforcement wires in the pipe under combined tension and internal pressure. Results from two methods are compared and discussed. Additional parametric study is presented to show the influence of important parameters on the behavior of RTP under combined tension and internal pressure.