You are on page 1of 42

38

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Module 6:
Lecture -3: Buried Structures

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Content in this module:

Load on Pipes,

Marstons load theory for rigid and flexible pipes,

Trench and Projection conditions,

minimum cover,

Pipe floatation and Liquefaction.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Live load

As the load is transmitted down, the effective area


increases and the pressure decreases.

Boussinesq equations can be used to calculate the


pressure of such loads on embedded pipes.

Details of live load calculations are presented in the


section on minimum cover.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Seismic Load

As a general rule, the stresses induced in pipe walls


due to seismic strains are quite small and do not
adversely affect the design.

The design codes usually allow for an increase in the


allowable stress, or conversely, a decrease in load
factors, when seismic loads are included in a load
combination.

Thus, buried pipes that are sized to sustain other design


loads usually have sufficient strength to resist seismic-
imposed stresses also.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Internal Pressure and Vacuum
Internal Pressure
Underground pipe systems have to operate under varying
levels of internal pressure.

Gravity sewer lines normally operate under fairly low


internal pressure, whereas water supply mains and industrial
process pipes operate under high internal pressures.

The high-pressure pipelines have to be designed for a


continuous operating pressure, as well as, a short-term
transient pressure.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Internal Pressure and Vacuum
Vacuum
Certain operational events may cause a temporary
vacuum in buried conduits.

In most cases the duration of application of vacuum


loading is extremely short and its effects can be
delineated from other live loads.

The magnitude and time variation of the transients


need to be considered for both the positive and
negative internal pressures.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Pipe and associated contents

The effects of the dead weight of the pipe wall and the
fluid carried must be resisted by the structural capacity of
the pipe.

In practice, loads from these two sources are often neglected in


the design of steel or plastic pipes, but accounted in the design
of prestressed and reinforced concrete pressure pipes, and
concrete non-pressure pipes.

For simplicity, these loads are added to the vertical soil loads,
keeping in mind the small magnitude of these loads.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Minimum soil cover
In pipeline design, analyses of minimum soil cover required
are essential to protect the integrity of the buried pipe
under different loading and environmental conditions.

Soil is the major component of a flexible buried pipe


system. Soil protects the pipe by holding the pipe in shape
and in alignment.

The following are analyses of minimum soil covers required


for protection against wheel loads, flotation, uplift, and
frost.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Minimum soil cover

Case I: Wheel Load, W, Directly over the Pipe Whidden(2009)


Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Wheel load directly Wheel load directly
Ground over the pipe Ground over the pipe
surface surface

P=W/2h2
h H

Burried Pipe P=W/2H2


D/2
Burried Pipe
D/2

(After NYSDOT Geotechnical design manual)

Magnitude of live loads get reduced as the depth of backfill is


increased.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Minimum soil cover
If an empty circular cross-section is deflected into an
ellipse, then pxrx = pyry.

Ratio of radii rr = ry/rx


= (b/a)3 = (1+d)3/(1-d)3

d = ring deflection

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Minimum soil cover
The horizontal pressure of pipe on soil at spring line is Px = Pyrr
Where,

d = 0% 2% 5% 10%
rr = 1 1.13 1.35 1.83

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Wheel Loads Case 1: Wheel load directly over the pipe
3
rr = [ (1 + d ) / (1 - d )]
The horizontal stress applied by pipe
d = Deflection of pipe ring as a
on soil at mid height of the pipe
fraction of pipe diameter
= Px = rr g H +W / 2 H
( )
2
g = Unit weight of soil
H = Minimum cover
W = Wheel load
The resisting force applied by soil at k p = Passive strength coefficient
mid height of the pipe 1 + sin f
=
= s x = k pg H + D / 2
1 - sin f
( ) D = Diameter of pipe
f = Friction angle of soil
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Minimum soil cover

Schematic variation of H
with W for different ring
deflections

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Minimum soil cover

As soil cover decreases, live load pressure on a


buried pipe increases. There exists a minimum
height of soil cover.

If the soil cover is less than the minimum, the surface


live load may damage the pipe.

Less obvious is a minimum height of soil cover for


dead load (weight of soil only).

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Minimum cover
Case 2: Wheel load is on one side of the pipe

Deformation is caused by
punch-through of a
truncated pyramid of soil
under the wheel.
If ring stiffness is not
adequate, top of the pipe
inverts as the wheel rolls
across the pipe.

Load distribution diagram with wheel


load on one side of the pipe (Whidden, 2009)

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Minimum soil cover
Inversion is triggered by the maximum moment, M =
0.022Pr2, about 10 to the right of center line.

The moment, M, causes bending stress = Mc/I.

The ring compression stress is = (P/2)(D/t) for flexible


pipe, where P = H = negligible.
By simplifying, we get
---(1)

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Minimum soil cover

Wheel load, W, on compacted granular soil punches out


a pyramid with slopes of about 1H:2V (slope angle =
37). Pressure on the pipe is:

---(2)

By solving (1) and (2), minimum cover H can be


determined.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Minimum soil cover
For typical granular backfill, based on analysis confirmed
by tests, minimum cover is about H = D/10.

An often specified minimum allowable is H = D/6, but


this applies to a perfectly flexible ring.

In fact, pipes have ring stiffness and so provide resistance to


dead load collapse.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Pipe floatation
The possibility of pipe flotation exists when the pipeline is
constructed in areas which will be inundated, such as stream
crossings, flood plains and high ground water areas. When such
conditions exist, evaluate the possibility of pipe flotation.

The buoyancy of a pipeline depends upon the weight of the pipe,


the weight of the volume of water displaced by the pipe, the
weight of the liquid load carried by the pipe and the weight of
the backfill.

As a conservative analytical practice, consider the pipeline empty


for two reasons; so the weight of the liquid will be considered as
an additional safety factor and the possibility of the pipeline not
being in use during a period of time.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Pipe floatation

For granular soil


with shallow covers
(H < 5D), soil slips
on parabolic
surfaces

Minimum Cover of Buoyant Soil Under


Water to Prevent Flotation of Empty Pipe
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Pipe floatation
Buoyancy, Q, of the empty pipe is the weight of water
displaced:

Weight of soil is the weight of soil wedges bounded by the soil


slip planes at an angle equal to the soil friction angle. For
cohesion-less soil, a reasonable soil friction angle is 37, for
which soil slips at roughly 1H : 2V (based on model tests)
The resisting force, W, is the buoyant weight of soil cover (i.e.
cross-hatched) is given by:
W = subA
A = area shown cross-hatched = (DZ + Z2/3 D2/8)
A safety factor is recommended. For design purposes,
increase the calculated H by a factor of 2.0.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Minimum Cover of Granular Soil Under Water
What is minimum cover, H, of granular soil under water
to prevent flotation when a pipe is empty?

The empty pipe floats if Q exceeds W.

Equating Q = W,

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Pipe uplift

Analysis for determination of the force required to uplift


the pipe in the soil is also useful.

Q is the force that lifts the pipe. The pipe uplift equation is:

p = kp (H +D/2)
By substituting and simplifying, 3Q/D2 = (H/D + 2)2 3.428

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Flotation and Uplift forces
If the height of soil cover, H, is
greater than 5D Inverted
General f
shear Terzaghi Model for Uplift Force
on a Pipe Buried Under High Soil
Bow wedge Cover needs to be adopted.
of soil

A bow wave of soil is formed as


the pipe plows up through the soil.
Shear planes (soil slip planes) do not
Soil flow break out at the ground surface.
(Long term)
Q=20D2
From analysis and at H/D > 5,
For H/D >5 Q = 20 D2

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Remediation measures for reducing Pipe floatation
Buoyancy effects are probably of greatest concern in areas such as flood plains
and estuaries where massive liquefaction could take place in a major
earthquake.
The following recommendations may be followed to minimize the buoyancy effects on
pipeline.

i) Pipelines may be encased with concrete pipes to reduce the buoyancy effects, but
the increased diameter will also increase lateral drag force on pipeline during
lateral spreading due to liquefaction.
ii) Concrete weights or gravel filled blankets can be utilized to provide
additional resistance to buoyancy.
iii) Buoyancy effect can also be minimized by shallow burial of pipeline above the
ground water table.
iv) Where uplift is the main concern, anchors may be provided with a
close spacing (~150 m) to prevent uplift.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Liquefaction
If there is any possibility of soil liquefaction, flotation
will be a major concern and additional
considerations are required. Soil can liquefy if it is
saturated and shaken, and if the density is less than
about 80 percent modified Proctor density.

The shaking can be a result of seismic activity. If the


soil is completely saturated to ground level and the
pipe is empty, there will be little resistance to flotation
and the empty pipe will rise through the liquid soil.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Liquefaction
If the embedment
liquefies when a
circular pipe is empty,
the ring may be
subjected to the
hydrostatic pressures
shown in the figure.

Pressure distribution on a pipe in a liquefied


soil. Buckling at bottom is possible.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Liquefaction
If somehow flotation is prevented, catastrophic collapse may
occur from the bottom according to the classical buckling
equation:

i.e. this gives, What is the height h of the water table


above the bottom of a steel pipe in embedment so loose
that it can liquefy and cause catastrophic ring collapse?

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Liquefaction
The resistance forces inhibiting the uplift force due to buoyancy (FB,P) are
provided by the weight of the pipe (FS,P), the weight of the overlying soil
(FWS,P) and the shear developed in the soil (FSP,P). However, in the event of
soil liquefaction during an earthquake, the shear contribution could be
reduced significantly.
In addition, the excess pore
pressure at the invert of the pipe
can also contribute to the uplift
force acting on the structure (FEPP,P)
shown in the figure.
When there is a positive net uplift force
(FNET,P), the pipe may float as a result.

Forces acting on a pipe in liquefied soil


Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Liquefaction
Mitigation technique using gravels
and geogrid:

Geogrid: confining the gravels

Gravels: counter-weight to
flotation

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Corrosion of buried pipes

Three environmental agents usually exert strong


influence on corrosion of the pipe wall material in
buried installations.

These are :

(a)The water or other fluid carried by the pipe


(b)The soil in contact with the buried pipe
(c)The groundwater

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Corrosion of buried pipes

Moreover, in the case of certain process water


systems, such as power plant condenser cooling
systems, the water is circulated continuously within a
closed loop.

In such cases, the concentrations of certain


compounds like chlorides, sulfates in the water may
increase and cause elevated corrosion rates in the
steel and concrete pipes.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Corrosion Protection

(a) Application of coating

(b) Cathodic protection : Proven to be very


successful in providing leak-free high-pressure oil
and natural gas pipelines throughout the U.S.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Corrosion Protection : (a) Coating

Coatings can be used to inhibit corrosion or other


forms of deterioration in both concrete and steel pipes.

Type and extent of coatings depends on the service


environment.

Coal tar enamel and wrapping has been used


successfully in the U.S. for decades. Epoxies and
urethanes, among others, have become popular in
more recent times.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Corrosion Protection : (b) Cathodic protection

Applicable in power plant sites, that have widely


dispersed grounding systems, which can cause
unpredictable stray currents promoting steel
corrosion.

Cathodic protection must be designed by competent


engineers based on information regarding the extent
of buried facilities, the soil resistivity measurements,
and the plant grounding system

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Load Considerations

Stresses due to pressure generated by the flow


(internal pressure)

External pressure by the fluid if the pipe is


submerged under water

External pressure generated by the weight of the


earth and live loads on buried pipes

Loads due to thermal expansion, earthquakes

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Installation of a flexible pipe at the site

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Installed flexible pipe at the site

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Basic mesh adopted in GEOSTUDIO (2012)

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay


Typical failure of a flexible pipe

Classic example of buckling failure of flexible pipe due


to insufficient lateral support
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

You might also like