Abstract
A new method of measurement of backfill stiffness around buried flexible pipe is presented. It consists of using flexible pipe as an expanding pressiometric probe. The pipe dilatation is obtained by an internal jacking test that causes a relatively small three-dimensional "ovalization" around 0.05%. We obtain a force-displacement curve along the force axis as well as the damping of the displacement in the longitudinal direction up to one diameter in range. Knowing the pipe mechanical characteristics, we can calculate Young's modulus of the backfill in the domain of small deformations. The paper describes the test procedure as well as the modulus computation technique, which is based upon a three-dimensional parametric study using the finite element method. The results obtained in a jacking test conducted on iron pipe of 1.4 m in diameter and 8.0 m in length are presented. The computed moduli are compared with the ones obtained in laboratory testing using resonant-column and cyclic triaxial tests.Key words: buried pipes, jacking test, soil stiffness, soil-structure interaction, three-dimensional analysis, finite elements.
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