Soil-pipe interaction models for the simulation of buried steel pipeline behaviour against geohazards

Abstract

Hydrocarbon pipelines constructed in geohazards areas, are subjected to ground-induced actions, associated with the development of severe strains in the pipeline and constitute major threats for their structural integrity. In the course of pipeline design, calculation of those strains is necessary for safeguarding pipeline integrity, and the development of reliable analytical/numerical design tools that account for soil-pipe interaction is required. In the present paper, soil-pipe interaction models for buried steel pipelines subjected to severe ground-induced actions are presented. First, two numerical methodologies, (simplified and rigorous) and one analytical are presented and compared, followed by an experimental verification; transversal soil-pipe interaction is examined through full-scale experimental testing, and comparisons of numerical simulations with rigorous finite element models are reported. Furthermore, the rigorous model is compared with the results from a special-purpose full-scale "landslide/fault" experimental test in order to examine the soilpipe interaction in a complex loading conditions. Finally, the verified rigorous model is compared with both the simplified models and the analytical methodology. Copyright © 2017 ASME.