Mitigation of Infilling Around Pipelines With Cyclic Lateral Deflections

The soil response around a high temperature pipeline proposed for construction was evaluated. Infilling of backfill around pipelines at side bends subjected to temperature changes may accumulate during cyclic displacements leading to ratcheting and possibly buckling of the pipeline. A medium-scale laboratory model testing program was used to gain a better understanding of how silty sand backfill migrates around a pipeline when subjected to cyclic lateral loading. Several mitigation techniques using geosynthetics and compressible materials were evaluated in order to both delay and reduce the net downward soil movement from pipe displacement cycles.