A Review of Design, Manufacture, and Mechanical Properties of Steel Skeleton Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipes

As a cost-effective production, steel reinforced thermoplastic pipes (S-RTPs) are employed in many industrial fields, such as the marine and petrochemical industries. The design, manufacture, and mechanical properties of S-RTPs are more challenging than those of traditional pipes because of their complicated behaviors and damage mechanisms. A comprehensive review of the design, manufacture, and mechanical behavior of S-RTPs is presented to understand the predictive capabilities, efficiency, and drawbacks of S-RTPs. The limitations of the existing investigations of S-RTPs and the guidance on future research to improve the analysis and design of S-RTPs are also reviewed, discussed, and provided. This article is the first systematic review to consolidate the understanding of the mechanical performance and existing problems related to steel reinforced plastic pipes (S-RTPs). An S-RTP is a cost-effective production, and it has been employed in many industrial fields, such as the marine and petrochemical industries. The design, manufacture, and understanding of mechanical properties of S-RTPs are quite complicated, and they are more challenging than those of traditional pipes like carbon steel pipes, due to their complex behaviors and failure process. However, there has been no review to consolidate the understanding of the behavior and problems related to S-RTPs to the best of our knowledge. This paper reviews existing work in design, manufacture, mechanical properties, and some potential nondestructive testing techniques of S-RTPs to understand the predictive capabilities, efficiency, and drawbacks of S-RTPs. The limitations of the existing investigations of S-RTPs and the guidance on future research to improve the analysis and design of S-RTPs are also reviewed, discussed, and provided. People including scientists, engineers, workers, students, and potential purchasers can get the content of interest about different kinds of S-RTPs from this paper.