Seismic performance of buried pipelines under different soil conditions
- Vol. 99(4), December
- Kolkata Springer 2018
- 689-698p.
One of the oldest means of transportation of water is by pipelines which are commonly laid underground. Unlike water, other fluids such as gas and oils are transported through these pipelines. The pipelines are referred as “lifelines,” as they carry the essential materials that support human life. In the recent days, the safety of pipelines during earthquake has gained wide range of attention. In India, the pipelines are exposed to high seismic risk, as the pipelines run through the most of the seismic zones. The pipes running through seismic zones should be designed to remain functional during post-earthquake as well. In the present work, the behavior of circular steel pipelines which are buried under soil at depth of 1.5 m is analyzed by response spectrum method at various soil conditions. The suitability and behavior of Grade-B, X-42, X-60, X-70 pipes to seismic load at different operating pressure are studied. The pipeline suffers large axial displacement specially, at the middle portion under seismic load. Soft soil is very critical for buried pipelines. The thickness and grade of the pipe are the important factors to be considered while designing buried pipelines in higher seismic zones.