ABCO Subsea - Vertebrae Bend Restrictors

Umbilical Management Systems

Vertebrae Bend Restrictors

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Bend Restrictor Inquiry Form
Bend Stiffener Inquiry Form VBR Inquiry Form

Vertebrae Bend Restrictors, Bend Stiffeners, & Bend Limiters

Vertebrae Bend Restrictors, Bend Stiffeners & Bend Limiters provide protection from excessive bending of flexible flowlines, subsea umbilicals, and cables.

Vertebrae Bend Restrictor (VBR)	VBR Spec Sheet VBR Inquiry Form The Vertebrae Bend Restrictor (VBR) is designed to prevent damage to the cable it protects. It offsets the action of applied loads which could kink or buckle the internal conduits of an umbilical, cable, flexible riser pipe or MUX line. The characteristics of the VBR allow the umbilical to freely flex in any direction,limiting it at the Locking Bend Radius (LBR). At that point the segments of the VBR will lock on each other increasing the effective stiffness of the cable it protects to withstand specified loads applied to the device without violating the specified minimum bend radius (MBR). The VBR will accommodate lines 0.5inch (13 mm) to 16 inches (406 mm) in diameter and is made from either polyurethane or steel depending on the need.
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Steel VBRs	VBR Spec Sheet VBR Inquiry Form The Steel Vertebrea Bend Restrictor (SVBR) is designed to prevent damage to the umbilical control line that it supports at higher loads than its polyurethane counterpart. SVBR assemblies share the same characteristics as polyurethane VBR assemblies in that they protect the control-line to a customer specified Minimum Bending Radius (MBR). Due to the material properties of steel in comparison to polyurethane, SVBR assemblies do not exhibit a large difference between the Locking Bend Radius and the MBR under loading. The SVBR Assemblies are comprised of male and female type segments that fit into each other. The male segment pair is locked inside the adjacent female segment pairs, thereby reducing the number of fasteners required to complete the assembly. SVBR assemblies are equipped with polyurethane stress wafers that work to evenly distribute the stress during loading.


Custom VBRs	VBR Inquiry Form ABCO custom designs bend restrictors, bend limiters, & bend stiffeners to customers’ specifications. Static and dynamic loads are specified by the customer or calculated by our engineers using catenary tension, angle from the umbilical termination assembly (UTA) at which the tension acts, and the required minimum bending radius. Depending on the required load and product line, the LBR is specified to be anywhere from 10-100% larger than the MBR to account for deflection under load. The urethane used provides excellent elasticity for repeatable loading and catastrophic failure prevention.


Bend Stiffeners	Bend Stiffener Inquiry Spec Sheet ABCO engineers and manufactures bend stiffeners and limiters to protect umbilicals or flexible pipelines for offshore applications. We have built bend stiffeners from 2 feet (600 mm) up to 32 feet (10 meters) - each custom designed to meet the minimum bend radius under load. All of ABCO's bend stiffeners are made from high quality polyurethane. Using Orcaflex and ANSYS software, ABCO's bend stiffeners are fully engineered solutions to protect umbilicals and flexible piping from damage due to over-bending and fatigue. Bend Stiffener Spec Sheet
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