Seismic Damage to Segmented Buried Pipe

Abstract

A fragility relation for buried segmented pipe subject to either the wave propagation or permanent ground deformation (PGD) hazard is presented. In the past, relations to estimate wave propagation damage to buried segmented pipe frequently use peak particle velocity (Vmax) to characterize the seismic hazard. For example, in 1993, O'Rourke and Ayala developed an empirical relation between damage (quantified by repairs per kilometer of pipe) and Vmax using data from four U.S. and two Mexican events. Existing fragility relations for PGD typically characterize the hazard by the amount of permanent ground movement. It is shown herein that for statistically reliable data, differences in estimated wave propagation repair rates become much smaller when the seismic shaking is characterized by ground strain as opposed to Vmax. Furthermore, damage rates for PGD are shown to be consistent with those for wave propagation when the PGD hazard is similarly characterized by ground strain. The combined wave propagation and PGD relation is quite consistent for four orders of magnitude of ground strain.