Buried Pipelines Subjected to Transverse Ground Movement: Comparison Between Full-Scale Testing and Numerical Modeling

A research program has been undertaken to study the behaviour of buried steel pipelines subject to lateral horizontal ground movements, and to provide appropriate data to calibrate and validate numerical model(s). A large sand chamber (2.5 m W × 3.8 m L × 2.5 m H) available at the University of British Columbia was employed to conduct full-scale lateral pullout tests on steel pipelines, with different diameters and buried in sand simulating different overburden ratios. Numerical analyses were performed using finite-difference-method-based software with the soil response simulated using Mohr-Coulomb and hyperbolic elastic constitutive models. The input parameters for the initial computer modeling were based only on element testing results. The numerical predictions, using the two soil constitutive models, are compared with the results of lateral pullout tests. The numerical model, after validation with full-scale test results can be used to predict soil loads on pipe for different overburden ratios, pipe sizes and soil properties.