The layers of unbounded flexible pipes have relative movement, enhancing its capabilities to handle curvatures and moment loads. In a simplified approach, those pipes can be described using bonded elements; but to really capture this behavior, a frictional contact is utterly needed. In general, dealing with contact problems in computational mechanics is complicated, since it involves the constant evaluation of its status and can lead to convergence problems or simulation failure, due to intrinsically problematic and inefficient contact models or due to contact models that are insufficient to capture the desired details. The macroelement formulation, which was created to deal with flexible pipes in a simplified way, needed a frictional contact element to enhance the quality of results and closeness to real behavior. The major drawback for developing such element is the different nature of the nodal displacements descriptions. The first approach possible is the simplest contact model: it involves only the nodes in each contacting elements. The gap information and distances are evaluated using exclusively the nodal information. This kind of model provides good results with minimum computational effort, especially when considering small displacements. This paper proposes such element: a node-to-node contact formulation for macroelements. It considers that the nodal displacements of both nodes are in cylindrical coordinates with one of them using Fourier series to describe the displacements. To show model effectiveness, a case study with a cylinder using Fourier series and multiple helical elements connected with the contact element is done and shows great results.
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October 2018
Research-Article
A Frictional Contact Element for Flexible Pipe Modeling With Finite Macroelements
Rodrigo Provasi,
Rodrigo Provasi
Department of Structural and Geotechnical
Engineering,
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Almeida Prado,
Trav. 2, No. 83,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: provasi@usp.br
Engineering,
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Almeida Prado,
Trav. 2, No. 83,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: provasi@usp.br
Search for other works by this author on:
Fernando Geremias Toni,
Fernando Geremias Toni
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Mello Moraes, No. 2231,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: fernando.toni@usp.br
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Mello Moraes, No. 2231,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: fernando.toni@usp.br
Search for other works by this author on:
Clóvis de Arruda Martins
Clóvis de Arruda Martins
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Mello Moraes, No. 2231,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: cmartins@usp.br
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Mello Moraes, No. 2231,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: cmartins@usp.br
Search for other works by this author on:
Rodrigo Provasi
Department of Structural and Geotechnical
Engineering,
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Almeida Prado,
Trav. 2, No. 83,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: provasi@usp.br
Engineering,
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Almeida Prado,
Trav. 2, No. 83,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: provasi@usp.br
Fernando Geremias Toni
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Mello Moraes, No. 2231,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: fernando.toni@usp.br
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Mello Moraes, No. 2231,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: fernando.toni@usp.br
Clóvis de Arruda Martins
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Mello Moraes, No. 2231,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: cmartins@usp.br
University of São Paulo,
Avenida Professor Mello Moraes, No. 2231,
São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
e-mail: cmartins@usp.br
Contributed by the Ocean, Offshore, and Arctic Engineering Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF OFFSHORE MECHANICS AND ARCTIC ENGINEERING. Manuscript received December 28, 2017; final manuscript received March 20, 2018; published online May 2, 2018. Assoc. Editor: Jonas W. Ringsberg.
J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng. Oct 2018, 140(5): 051703 (10 pages)
Published Online: May 2, 2018
Article history
Received:
December 28, 2017
Revised:
March 20, 2018
Citation
Provasi, R., Toni, F. G., and Martins, C. D. A. (May 2, 2018). "A Frictional Contact Element for Flexible Pipe Modeling With Finite Macroelements." ASME. J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng. October 2018; 140(5): 051703. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4039795
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