Mechanical loads on tubing

strings

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 Definitions
• Tubing strings are designed based on the material
elastic behaviour, key properties are:
• Tensile stress

• Yield stress

• Young modulus

• Poisson ration

• Ultimate tensile stress

• CR alloys can exhibit an anisotropic behaviour

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 Stress-strain behaviour

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 Elastic behaviour of steel
• Elastic behaviour follows Hooke’s law where:

=E

• E is the Young modulus or modulus of elasticity

 is the strain

• API specifies that the maximum yield stress is the

tensile stress required to produce an elongation of
up to 0.65%
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 Plastic behaviour
• Other materials used in well construction might
present a non-elastic behaviour

• Components made out of this material might suffer

permanent deformation

• Applications such as expandable casing, screens and

Coiled Tubing are deformed beyond their elastic
limits

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 Mechanical properties of materials

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 Mechanical loads in tubing strings
• Axial load (tension or compression)
• Load induced by internal pressures that can lead to
bursting the tubing
• Load induced by external (annular) pressures that
can induce the collapse of the tubing

• Combined load or tri-axial stress induced by the

integrated effect of all these loads

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 Type of failure mechanisms

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 Summary
• Materials such as steel used for manufacturing tubing
exhibits an elastic behaviour
• For certain type of applications (Expandable casing &
Coiled Tubing) the material is used in its plastic state
• Strength and deformation properties such as Young
modulus, Poisson ratio and tensile strength define the
behaviour
• Four (4) mechanical loads are normally considered for
design purposes, these are: axial load, burst load,
collapse and tri-axial load

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