Response of Buried Plastic Pipelines Subject to Lateral Ground Movement Available to Purchase

The performance of pipelines in areas prone to ground deformations is a major concern for utility owners since the failures of such pipeline systems could cause property damage and even human losses, in addition to business disruption. An analytical solution to determine the response of plastic pipelines subject to abrupt relative ground movement occurring perpendicular to the pipe axis is presented herein. The method accounts for the combined impacts of tension and bending in a pipe segment. Furthermore, the model considers the nonlinear stress-strain behavior of the pipe material and employs an advanced analytical model to calculate the frictional force development along the pipeline. The results obtained from this analytical approach are validated by comparing with the results obtained from a numerical model using soil-spring analysis and the actual viscoelastic material behavior for the pipe material.