Evaluation of Mechanical behavior of Textured Pipelines Subjected to Strike-slip Faulting

The present study investigates the mechanical behavior of a new generation of buried pipelines, dubbed the textured pipeline, which is subjected to strike-slip faulting. In conventional cylindrical pipelines, the axial and bending stresses brought about in their walls as a result of fault movement, lead to local buckling, which are construed as one of the major reasons contributing to pipeline failure. The present study has assessed 3-D numerical models of two kinds of buried textured pipelines, with 6 and 12 peripheral triangular facets, subjected to a strike-slip faulting normal to the axis of the pipelines, with and without internal pressure. The results indicate that, because of specific geometry of this pipeline shell which is characterized by having lower axial stiffness and higher bending stiffness, compared to conventional cylindrical pipeline, they are considerably resistant to local buckling. The results of this study can be conceived of as a first step towards comprehensive seismic studies on this generation of pipelines which aim at replacing the conventional cylindrical pipelines with textured ones in areas subjected to fault movement.

Keywords:

Textured pipeline , Buried pipeline , Strike-slip fault , Local buckling