Performance evaluation of a buried steel pipe in a moving slope: a case study

Abstract

Shallow and deep-seated soil movements were observed in a slope in which a steel pipe was laid for transport of oil emulsion. In the past, solutions have been developed mainly for analysis of buried pipes subjected to longitudinal or transverse soil movement at a shallow depth. Based on simplified soil–pipe interaction relationships and ground movement patterns, this paper presents methods for analysis of pipes subjected to the measured soil movements at varying depths in slopes. These methods decompose the resultant soil movement into its components parallel and perpendicular to the pipeline, i.e., the pipeline is subjected to a combined longitudinal and transverse soil movement. In the transverse movement analysis, the effect of pipe stretching due to large deformation is included. These methods were used in the case study to assess the potential of yielding in the pipe with the given soil movements that occurred in the slope.Key words: pipeline, soil subgrade, soil movement, bending, axial stretching.