Mechanical behaviour analysis of a buried steel pipeline under ground overload

Ground overload is one of the most important factors that threaten the safe operations of oil and gas pipelines. The mechanical behaviour of a buried pipeline under ground overload was investigated using the finite element method in this paper. The effects of the overload parameters, pipeline parameters and surrounding soil parameters on the stress-strain response of the buried pipeline were discussed. The results show that the maximum von Mises stress appears on the top of the buried pipeline under the loading area when the ground load is small, and the stress distribution is oval. As the ground load increases, the maximum stress increases, and the high stress area extends. The von Mises stress, plastic strain, plastic area size, settlement and ovality of the buried pipeline increase as the ground load and loading area increase. The buckling phenomenon of the no-pressure buried pipeline is more serious than the pressure pipeline. As the internal pressure increases, the high stress area and the maximum plastic strain of the buried pipeline first decrease and then increase, the settlement of the buried pipeline increases, and the ovality decreases. The von Mises stress, maximum plastic strain, settlement and ovality of the buried pipeline decrease with increasing buried depth, the surrounding soil's elasticity modulus, Poisson's ratio and cohesion. The maximum von Mises stress, high stress area, the maximum plastic strain, plastic area and ovality increase as the diameter-thickness ratio increases. The critical diameter-thickness ratio is 60, and the settlement of the buried pipeline first increases and then decreases as the diameter-thickness ratio increases. Finally, a protective device of the buried pipeline is designed for preventing ground overload. It can be repaired in a timely manner without stopping the transmission of oil and gas and widely used in different locations because of its simple structure and convenient installation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.