Centrifuge Modeling of Earthquake Effects on Buried High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Pipelines Crossing Fault Zones
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 10
Abstract
Permanent ground deformation is a severe hazard for continuous buried pipelines. This technical paper presents results from four centrifuge tests designed to investigate the influence of pipe-fault orientation on pipe behavior under earthquake faulting. The experimental setup and procedures are described, and the test results are presented. The test results show that, as expected, pipe axial strain is strongly influenced by the pipe-fault orientation angle, whereas the influence of pipe-fault orientation angle on pipe bending strain is minor. The measured pipe strains were shown to follow the trend predicted by the Kennedy model. Also, through a parametric study using the Kennedy model, the experimental data were extrapolated for cases of pipeline with longer unanchored length. By combing the data from strain gauges and tactile pressure sensors, transverse force–deformation relations or relations for the pipe were determined. The data indicates that the underlying relationship varies along the length of the pipe with a stiffer relationship at points closer to the fault and a softer relationship at points farther away. The stiffer relationship, appropriate for locations moderately close to the fault, was compared with the ASCE Guidelines in 1984 and Turner’s recommendation in 2004 for moist sand. It was found that the force level for the plastic behavior in the centrifuge tests compared favorably with that in the ASCE Guidelines (1984).
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported primarily by the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Program of the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. CMS-0421142, CMS-0086555, and CMS-0217366. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This project is part of a collaborative project involving full-scale buried pipe tests at Cornell Univ. and companion centrifuge tests at Rensselaer. Dr. Yun Wook Choo from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) provided assistance in the preparation of centrifuge models and in conducting the tests. The writers also acknowledge lab support personnel at the Rensselaer Geotechnical Centrifuge Center and at the Cornell Univ. Lifeline Facility for their help in conducting tests presented in this technical paper. Finally, the writers acknowledge the anonymous reviewers whose comments were very helpful in improving the manuscript.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 10 • October 2008
Pages: 1501 - 1515
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 15, 2007
Accepted: Feb 27, 2008
Published online: Oct 1, 2008
Published in print: Oct 2008
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