An Investigation into the Influence of a New Building on the Response of a Sheet Pile Wall Adjacent to an Existing Buried Pipe

Abstract

This paper explores a solution to safeguard buried pipes located near constructions in the Al-Bisri region of Assiut Governorate by utilizing the concept of the characteristic damage state. This issue has escalated due to the increasing rate of construction activity near pipelines, resulting in a multitude of legal disputes. This study investigates the behavior of buried pipes when influenced by newly constructed buildings using the finite element method. The paper employs two-dimensional models of a 12-story reinforced concrete building with a raft foundation and a series of piles supporting the buried pipe. In this study, we used the PLAXIS software, a 2D plane strain program, to conduct numerical investigations. The soil was idealized using the Mohr–Coulomb model with a 15-node triangular element, while the piles and structures were idealized with a five-node isoperimetric beam element. The point of contact between the beam and the soil was represented by the interface element. Our research examined the distance between the pipe and the footing edge and the distance between the piles and the footing edge. The finite element model results provided nodal displacements and element straining actions for analysis. The results shed light on the behavior of the sheet pile wall and sewage pipe in various situations. The largest bending moment in the sewage pipe was seen in the absence of piling, in contrast, to pile support at Rx = 0.75. The bending moment in the pipe expanded and always occurred at the same location as Rx rose. The clay layer next to the pipe’s lateral deformation was significantly reduced after piling, with the greatest deformation occurring at Rx = 0.