Performance of buried pipeline under reverse fault in permafrost region

Abstract

Long-distance pipelines may pass through areas of frozen soil sometimes, such as the Trans-Alaska pipeline and the Chinese Northeast pipeline. This work intends to analyze the performance of buried pipeline under reverse fault motion in such regions. A pipe-soil system model was established, and the thermo-mechanical coupling analysis was carried out. The temperature distribution of the soil near the ground and around the pipe is affected by them apparently, especially by ground. For the true temperature field (TTF) and the simplified one (STF), the pipe strain peak value and developing laws differ hugely, because of different soil mechanical properties distribution. The peak strains of the pipe are the largest at +0 °C of the ground, and the local buckling of the pipe appears earlier than the tensile failure. TTF should be obtained, and the peak compressive strain at +0 °C should be taken as the main criterion for seismic design or check calculation, for compressive bearing capacity usually determines pipe mechanical properties.