One of the most common causes of collapse of pipelines crossing unstable slopes is
the large deformation induced by landslides. This paper presents a numerical
methodology based on the finite element method for the analysis of buried pipelines
considering the nonlinear behavior of the soil-pipe interface. This problem is
inherently complex since it involves the interaction between two different
bodies (pipe and soil), and is affected by many elements such as material
nonlinearities, local and global buckling, soil settlement, pipe upheaval, among
others. An important aspect that should be considered in the study of buried
pipes is the mechanical behavior along the interface between the structure
and the soil. The contact problem, which includes both a normal and a
tangential constitutive law, is formulated through a penalty method. The
finite element model considers full three-dimensional geometry, elasto-plastic
material behavior and accounts for the presence of large displacements and
deformations.
Keywords
soil-pipe interaction, frictional contact, penalty method,
large deformation