Structural design and mechanical performance test of densely drilled glass fiber reinforced plastics pipelines

Densely drilled glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) pipelines are thought to be of prosperous future in sand control in oilfield. However, due to the fact that the mechanical properties of the perforated GFRP pipelines are always lowered remarkably, some structural design work must be done. Several key factors, including the winding angle of the glass fibers, the mechanical properties of the matrix resin were considered carefully in advance. The tensile strength, compressive strength and the screw-crushing properties of the GFRP pipelines were measured subsequently. Most of the test results were coincided with what had been expected during structural design. The winding angle was proved to be an important factor in improving the mechanical performance of perforated GFRP pipelines. Mechanical property of the matrix resin was another important factor in determining the performance of the GFRP pipelines. The effect of the hole-size and distribution on the mechanical performance of the heavily perforated GFRP pipelines always depended on the winding angle and matrix resin. In the screw-crushing test, the GFRP pipelines showed to be easily destroyed by the slowly rotating drill head.