Fatigue testing of drillpipe

Abstract

Twenty-nine tests in air and 27 tests in a 3.5% NaCl solution were conducted to test the fatigue strength of Grade E 4.5-in.-OD, 16.6 lbm/ft [114-mm-OD, 24.7-kg/m] drillpipe. The effects of stress range, mean stress, corrosion, and upset geometry were tested on the drillpipe body alone and on specimens that included the tool joint, upset, and drillpipe body. Stress range and mean stress effects were significant in noncorrosive and corrosive environments. The effect of upset geometry was minimal on a external upset compared with that on an internal/external upset. Among the specimens that failed, grinding marks on the drillpipe surface, which occurred during inspection at the mill, caused failure of about 60% of the specimens. Grinding created a notch effect and induced a detrimental residual-stress pattern on the pipe surface, which decreased drillpipe fatigue life. API guidelines for cumulative fatigue of Range 2 drillpipe were evaluated in light of these experimental test results and were found to be unsafe for drilling in noncorrosive conditions and possibly too conservative for corrosive conditions.