Prediction of ultimate burst pressure and comparison of failure criteria for thermoplastic composite pipes

Abstract

Thermoplastic composite pipes (TCPs) are becoming the ideal substitute for traditional steel pipe due to its superiorities including light weight and corrosive resistance. The cross-section of TCPs consists of an inner liner, a laminate layer, and an outer jacket. The laminate layer is made of multi-plies of helically wound continuous fibre reinforced unidirectional tape. In the present study, a three-dimensional (3D) theoretical model and a 3D finite element model were developed to analyse the stress state of a TCP under internal pressure. With a selected failure criterion for composite laminate, the ultimate burst pressure of a TCP can be predicted. By comparing the predicted burst pressure with the experimental results, several commonly used failure criteria were compared in terms of their accuracy.