Parameter analysis and prediction of crack propagation for thermoplastic composite pipes under lateral pressure

The research investigates the process of crack propagation in thermoplastic composite pipes (TCPs) with initial racks subjected to lateral pressure, through a combination of numerical simulations and experimental studies. In the numerical analysis, a TCP is subjected to lateral pressure, considering parameters such as initial crack length, initial crack angle, and lateral displacement. This analysis employs the extended finite element method (XFEM). The results reveal that crack propagation predominantly occurs perpendicular to the fibre winding angle. Moreover, it is observed that longer initial cracks result in lower crack initiation loads, while the final extent of crack propagation increases with the initial crack length. The experimental study considers three distinct initial crack angles and verifies the conclusions drawn from the numerical simulations. Furthermore, a crack propagation prediction model is developed that combines particle swarm optimization (PSO) with backpropagation (BP) neural networks. The predictive results demonstrate a high level of accuracy.