Finite element approach of the buried pipeline on tensionless foundation under random ground excitation

Abstract

This work presents an investigation in the numerical performance of finite element approach in the dynamic elastoplastic analysis of buried pipeline, which is subjected to random ground motion. The surrounding soil is modeled by Winkler and Pasternak type foundation, while the random ground motion is generated synthetically by generalized nonstationary Kanai–Tajimi model. The governing equation is formulated by Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and discretized by beam-pipe element. Moreover, the von Mises isotropic hardening model is employed for material behavior modeling. The Hilber–Hughes–Taylor (HHT) method and the Newton–Raphson method are adopted as the time incremental iterative algorithm to solve the global equilibrium equation. Several applications are carried out to investigate the numerical performance of the present numerical model in dealing with the dynamic elastoplastic analysis of buried pipe. The norm L2 of stress and displacement error are determined for different time intervals and the factors that contribute to the error reduction are investigated in present work.