The Effect of Heavy-Duty Vehicle Crossings on the State of Stress of Buried Pipelines

The aim of this article is to quantify the loads exerted by heavy-duty vehicles when crossing over buried pipeline. This problem arises in connection to the question pertaining to the use of protective sleeves (casings) applied to gas pipelines in regions with increased demands on pipeline operation safety. An experiment was conducted on a test pipe section made from L360NE pipeline steel equipped with strain gauges along the pipe perimeter, measuring strains in the axial and circumferential directions. Strain measurements were taken after back-filling the pipe trench, then during vehicle crossings over the empty pipe, and again after pressurizing the test pipe with air. Strain-based hoop stresses at the surface of the empty test pipe were found to exceed 30 MPa after back-filling the trench and increased to more than 40 MPa during the vehicle crossings. Similarly, axial stresses reached extremes of around 17 MPa in compression and 12 MPa in tension. Applying internal air pressure to the test pipe resulted in a reduced net effect on both the hoop and axial stresses.

Stress Triaxial Constraint and Fracture Toughness Properties of X90 Pipeline Steel

The X90 pipeline steel with high-strength and high-toughness become the most popular pipeline steel. Due to the stress triaxial constraint and fracture toughness properties are the key factors for the stable work of pipeline steel, the research on the fracture toughness of X90 is a great significance to promote the engineering application of high-strength pipeline steel. In order to investigate the stress triaxial constraint and fracture toughness properties of X90 pipeline steel, the experimental rules with different grooves size are proposed using the common toughness experiment and the corresponding numerical models are established in this paper. The resistance curves and fracture toughness of each type of specimens are obtained and compared with that of finite element analysis. Furthermore, the stress distribution, J-integral distribution and stress triaxial constraint of the specimen are analyzed, as well as the influence of side grooves size on the determination of fracture toughness is also discussed. The results obtained from the study will provide a reference to the fracture toughness evaluation research and application of X90 pipeline steel.

Performance Study of Buried Pipelines under Static Loads

The possibility of servicing lifelines such as highways, railways, pipelines, and tunnels is of great social importance. The characteristic that separates the buried pipeline from other structures is that its dimensions are very long compared to its other dimensions. Ground vibrations caused by earthquakes, construction activities, traffic, explosions, and machinery can damage these structures. Lifeline integrity can be compromised in two ways: (1) direct damage due to excessive dynamic loading of the lifeline, and (2) indirect damage due to soil failures such as liquefaction, slope instability, and differential settlements. 3D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) is an advanced manufacturing process that can automatically produce complex geometric shapes from a 3D computer-aided design model without tools, molds, or fixtures. This automated manufacturing process has been applied in diverse industries today because it can revolutionize the construction industry with expected benefits. This research study on the performance of buried pipelines under static loads to the structure's safety against the possible development of progressive failure. This research study includes a numerical study, where it was studied many parameters to value the performance of the pipeline. The parameters are (a) the material of the pipeline (steel, traditional concrete, and 3D concrete printed), (b) the thickness of the pipeline (20, 30, and 40 mm), and (c) soil type (moist sandy soil, saturated sandy soil, moist cohesive soil, and saturated cohesive soil). Different results were obtained depending on the type of soil where all pipelines materials' behavior was similar in the case of moist soil. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-01-01 Full Text: PDF