Cable inside a pipe

[Fanaticos]

Hi all,

Im trying to make a model of an electrical cable inside a pipe laying at a seabed. This is modeles using the 'slide line option in abaqus. The pipe is subjected to temperature loading and expands. The cable can not see the same expansion; hence it has to be layed with an overlength inside the pipe. Any suggestions on how to model a pre-bended cable which wil straightens out when the pipe expands? The cable can see small compression, but the strain should not exceed 0.04% strain, so the *no tension/compression option in abaqus is not relevant. The cable has to be checked for compression as well.

What kind of elements are best for modeling of a cable? I have so far used an isotropic material behaviour; I assume that this is more an anisotropic (hypoelastic) behaviour?

All suggestions are appriciated.

 

[NunoMPG]

I think that C3D8H elements would work just fine, also you could adjust mesh controls to Hex, sweep and medial axis sweep Technic or pipe elements could work too.

 

[Fanaticos]

The pipe and the cable are modelled with beam elements B31H (hybrid formulation). The thing is that you define the E-modulus and the beam section (in this case circular), which than decides your EI (bending) and EA (axial) stiffness. But I want the bending stiffness to be very small. Is there a way to define this?

 

[rstupplebeen]

Can you apply orthotropic expansion coefficients to the cable, heat it and allow the cable to kink and bend in the pipe? I hope this helps.

Rob Stupplebeen

https://sites.google.com/site/robertkstupplebeen/