Fatigue Life Prediction of Drill-String Subjected to Random Loadings

Abstract

Based on linear damage accumulation law, this paper investigates the fatigue problem of drill-strings in time domain. Rainflow algorithms are developed to count the stress cycles. The stress within the drill-string is calculated with finite element models which is developed using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. Both deterministic and random excitations to the drill-string system are taken into account. With this model, the stress time history in random nature at any location of the drill-string can be obtained by solving the random dynamic model of the drill-string. Then the random time history is analyzed using rainflow counting method. The fatigue life of the drill-string under both deterministic and random excitations can therefore be predicted.