BUCKLING IS GOVERNED BY THE

EFFECTIVE FORCE

Fe = Fa - (piAi - poAo)

Tension is positive

External pressure
Internal pressure
Axial force
Effective force

As=Ao-Ai

If Effective Force is negative,

pipe is defined as buckled

Ao

Ai

BUCKLING PROBLEM:

A TUBULAR HANGING FREELY IN FLUID

Atthebottom,
Fe = Fa - (piAi - poAo)
Fa = -m z As (actual axial force)
As = Ao - Ai (cross-sectional area)
pi = po = m z

m z As

Fe = -m z As m z (-As) = 0
Actualaxialstressiscompression
Effectiveaxialtensioniszero
Bottomofstringisincompression,butnotbuckled

BUCKLING

EFFECTIVE VS. TRUE TENSION

Axial Force

Depth

Compression at Bottom
due to Hydrostatic Force

+
Equal at Surface
if pi = po = 0

Fe = Fa - (piAi - poAo)

BUCKLING

EFFECT OF PRESSURE

External pressure
acts like a tension;
internal pressure
acts like a
compression.
Fe = Fa - (piAi - poAo)

po

po

BUCKLING PROBLEM 1:

IS THIS COLUMN BUCKLED?

10000
Ao = 10

po = 1001

Fe = Fa - (piAi - poAo) > 0 ?

BUCKLING PROBLEM 2:

IS THIS COLUMN BUCKLED?

10000
Ai = 9

pi = 1200

Fe = Fa - (piAi - poAo) > 0 ?

BUCKLING PROBLEM 2:

IS THIS COLUMN BUCKLED?

10000
Ai = 9

pi = 1200

Fe = Fa - (piAi - poAo) < 0

GENERALIZED BUCKLING

CRITERION
Condition

Significance

Fe> -Fcr

Tubeisstable,nottendingtobuckle

Fe< -Fcr

Tubeisunstable,tendingtobuckle

Fe= -Fcr

Neutralstability,intermediatetoothertwoconditions
For a straight, vertical wellbore Fcr = 0.