Shrink-Fit Fatigue Test Specimens Made

SRP have successfully made test specimens in preparation for resonant bending fatigue testing. The specimen make-up involved the thermal shrink-fitting of a sleeve over two pipe ends to produce a pipe-to-pipe coupling that will be tested at Stress Engineering in Houston.

The 80ksi F22 sleeve-couplings and the 11¾” heavy wall C110 pipe are part of a test program supported by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America.  The objective of the test program is to qualify SRP’s technology for deepwater application and to produce the all-important design curves such that the technology may be considered for long-term deployment in harsh environments.

Paul Brett, project manager, said, “I am really happy that the assembly phase of this project went so well.  In fact every specimen made-up smoothly without the need for any re-heating.”  The testing project is due to be completed in the 4th quarter of 2011 with further tests to be more project-specific.