Will a buried composite pipeline system fail at its joints under the effects of overburden soil, pipe operating pressurization, and traffic loads?

Abstract

In real world applications, buried pipelines span across great lengths. It is inevitable that certain sections of a buried pipeline experience external loads in addition to top soil overburden, such as weights of aboveground buildings and traffic loads located directly above these sections. The present study investigated the effects of overburden soil, pipe internal pressurization, and traffic loads on fiber-reinforced plastic pipelines at various pipe sections with particular emphasis on pipe joints using finite element method. This study includes realistic modeling of traffic loading on service road running across a buried pipeline system, consisting of straight, bent, and joint sections. Our results also revealed that surcharge loading might not be a predominant factor in pipe failure or leakage issues as compared to the cyclic pipe internal pressurization. Moreover, it was also confirmed in our study that the pipe joint remained as the most critical region for pipe failure or leakage issues.