Strain Demand in Pipes Subjected to Ground Movement

This page analyzes the response of the pipe to ground movements induced by geotechnical activities, e.g., ground heave and subsidence, slope instability, landslides, liquefaction-induced action, and tectonic faults. In this calculation, the pipe is divided into three segments (the left segment $L_{1}L\_1$, the middle segment $L_{2}L\_2$, and the right segment $L_{3}L\_3$) in which the middle segment is subjected to the ground movement. The length of the middle segment is case-specific. In contrast, the length of left and right segments should be determined considering the elimination of the fixed boundary effects at the two ends. The analysis is performed based on a 2-dimensional model where the pipe is deformed in the axial and lateral directions. The finite difference method is employed for the response calculation. The local description of the physics on the pipe is approximately represented by a set of simultaneous finite difference equations which are established based on the governing equations and boundary conditions. The large sparse matrix equation system is constructed and solved using Python. The pipe is modelled as an Euler-Bernoulli bean with large deformations. The nonlinearity of pipes’ material and the pipe-soil interaction are considered.

For more information please contact Qian Zheng (e-mail: zq4@ualberta.ca).