Test on a buried pipe network subjected to an artificial earthquake produced by multi-millisecond blasting

Abstract

Buried pipe networks are important components of lifeline systems. An experiment is conducted to test a buried pipe network subjected to an artificial earthquake produced by multi-millisecond blasting. The motivation of the research is to verify the feasibility of using multi-millisecond blasting to simulate earthquakes and to validate the deformation relationship between pipe and soil obtained in a single-point explosion test. Multiple explosives are used with a time-delay technique to create an extended period of loading on pipes. The dimension of the buried pipe network is 24 m × 24 m. The artificial earthquake is produced by trinitrotoluene (TNT) charges. The pipe network consists of ductile cast iron (DCI) pipes, which represent a water distribution network, and welded steel (WS) pipes, which represent a gas supply network. Eighty-five kilograms of TNT charges, which are divided into three parts, are detonated by millisecond blasting. The ground motion of the test field, including the accelerations and velocities at different points, and the pipe dynamic responses, including the joint deformations of DCI pipes and the axial strains of WS pipes, are described in detail. Finally, the deformation law of buried pipe networks and the deformation relationship between pipe and soil are discussed.