Lateral Force‐Displacement Response of Buried Pipe

Abstract

The results of an experimental program to assess the response of buried pipes to lateral ground movements are presented. The effects of pipe depth, soil density, pipe diameter, and pipe roughness are considered, and test results are compared with published analytical models and experimental data. The results indicate the need to consider vertical equilibrium in predicting the horizontal response of buried pipelines, and the data agree well with several analytical models that include this effect. Pipe surface roughness was found to have little effect on response. Soil density has a large effect on displacements required to mobilize the maximum force but a relatively small effect on the value of the residual force at large displacements for depths typical of transmission pipelines. The study concludes with a simplified design procedure for predicting pipeline response to lateral ground movements.