Experimental and FEM stress analysis of a pipe-rubber-seal-gasket structure

加拿大拥有巨大的石油和天然气储量。它的供应已经增长，预计还会继续增长。加拿大的石油和天然气部门需要管道，这被认为是最安全和最有效的石油和天然气运输方式。所有管道都有设计寿命，并随着使用时间的推移而退化。这种降解可能会导致故障，从而扰乱石油和天然气的运输，并对环境造成灾难性的影响。监测、识别和应对紧急维修是必不可少的。 管道隔离系统是维修过程中使用的关键设备。橡胶垫片是这种隔震系统最重要的部件之一。在管道隔离和维修后随后的静水压测试期间，垫圈可能会产生高应力。这种应力可能会对管道造成损坏。本项目旨在探索垫片和管道之间的相互作用，并开发一种计算机辅助工具来估计垫片在管道中产生的应力。计算固体力学和实验力学两种方法都将在拟议的项目中使用。该项目将得到业界的大力支持，并作为之前与Proforma Engineering Ltd.(Proforma)成功合作的延伸，Proforma是温尼伯的一家工程咨询公司，参与了上述具体工具的设计。 尽管加拿大的管道安全记录总体上很强劲，但管道安全一直是任何管道开发的中心问题。该项目将通过开发管道材料完整性监测和修复的有用工具，为加强管道安全作出贡献。

Canada has vast oil and gas reserves. Its supply has grown and is expected to keep growing. The Canadian oil & gas sector needs pipelines, which are considered the safest and the most efficient ways for the transportation of oil and gas. All pipelines have a design life and degradation over time in service. Such degradation can cause failure, which disrupts the oil and gas transportation and is catastrophic to the environment. Monitoring, identifying and responding to an emergency repair are essential. The pipeline isolation system is crucial equipment used during repairs. Rubber gaskets are one of the most important components for such an isolation system. During the pipeline isolation and the subsequent hydrastatic testing following the repair, the gaskets can produce high stresses. Such stresses may cause damage to the pipeline. This project aims to explore the interactions between the gaskets and the pipe and to develop a computer-aided tool to estimate the stresses induced by the gasket in the pipe. Both approaches of computational solid mechanics and experimental mechanics will be used in the proposed project. The project will be carried out with significant industrial support and as an extension of the previous successful collaboration with ProForma Engineering Ltd. (ProForma), an engineering consulting company in Winnipeg, which has been involved in designing the above mentioned specific tools. Although overall Canada's pipeline safety record is strong, safety of pipelines has been the center issue for any pipeline development. The project will contribute to enhancement of pipeline safety by developing a useful tool for pipeline material integrity monitoring and repairing.