Experimental Characterization of Hazard-Resilient Ductile Iron Pipe Soil/Structure Interaction under Axial Displacement

This paper reports on large-scale testing results to characterize the performance of hazard-resilient pipelines under large ground deformation caused by natural hazards, such as earthquake-induced lateral spreading and landslides, as well as displacements associated with flooding-induced scour and subsidence. A series of experiments were performed at the Cornell University Geotechnical Lifelines Testing Laboratory to evaluate the axial force/displacement performance of hazard resilient ductile iron pipelines buried in sand typical of utility installations in the field. Such pipelines can accommodate axial movement through slip and rotation of the joints. Soil-pipeline interaction under direct axial pull was investigated to quantify how the enlarged hazard resilient joints affect pullout resistance. The testing results provide detailed data with which to characterize pipeline response to the effects of soil movement parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipe, thus improving analytical modeling capabilities and contributing to the development of design guidelines.