CFRP repair effectiveness on compressed steel tubular members with circular cutout

Abstract

Welding procedures for repairing corroded tubular structures are commonly used; however, composite material repairs are becoming popular since they do not use heat sources that might cause accidents. This paper provides a detailed description of the CFRP patch repair application in steel tubular members with a circular perforation originated from a prolonged corrosion process. The results of experimental tests on midscale unrepaired damaged and repaired steel tubes are reported. The predictions of the maximum loads recovered from a proposed numerical model lie close to the experimental observed values, justifying its usage for analysis of repaired tubular structures with circular cutouts when subjected to axial compression. Compared to unrepaired perforated tubes, the experimental results demonstrate a substantial strength recovery for repaired tubes. The value of this research for the oil and gas industry is that it demonstrates the feasibility of this kind of repair, which means reduced risk to the production unit and a shorter repair period.