PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
Tom O’Rourke
Thomas R. Briggs
Professor
of Engineering
Cornell University
GROUND DEFORMATION EFFECTS
ON SUBSURFACE PIPELINES AND
INFRASTRUCTURE
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Harry Stewart
Chalermpat
Pariya-Ekkasut
Jai JungChristina ArgyrouJoe Chipalowsky
Brad Wham Dimitra Bouziou Tim Bond
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TOPICS
• Underground Assets
• Soil/Pipe Interface
• Soil/Pipeline Interaction
• 2D and 3D Behavior
• (Tunneling Effects on Pipelines)
• Next Generation Pipelines
• Pipeline System Performance
• Impact on Communities
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TOPIC
• Underground Assets
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
U.S. PIPELINE INVENTORY
•489,000 km Gas & Liquid Fuel Transmission
Lines
•2,035,000 km Gas Distribution Lines
•67 Million Gas Service Lines
•1,900,000 km Water Distribution Lines
•$2.4 Trillion Water Pipeline Replace Value
•1 km Pipeline Every 9 Minutes in US
•1 km Pipeline Every 1-2 Minutes Worldwide
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
DEP (NYC)
US PIPELINE INVENTORY
90-95%
≤ 600 mm
99% of Gas
Distribution
Pipelines
≤ 600 mm
(PHMSA,
2015)
(Water)
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
UNDERGROUND
INFRASTRUCTURE
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
KOREAN PIPELINE NEWS CAST
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
EXTREME SOIL-PIPELINE INTERACTION
•Earthquakes
•Hurricanes and Floods
•Landslides: Aerial and Submarine
•Tunneling and Deep Excavations
•Subsidence
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
EXTREME SOIL-PIPELINE INTERACTION
Soil Material & Geometric
Nonlinearities
Pipeline Material &
Geometric Nonlinearities
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TOPIC
• Soil/Pipe Interface
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TACTILE PRESSURE
SENSORS
50 X 40 cm plan dimensions
~ 2000 sensels
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
PLANE STRAIN EXPERIMENTS
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
θ
θ
θ
p(θ)
p(θ)tanδsinθ
p(θ)cosθ
b) Normal Stress
Distribution
c) Expanded
View
N


O
R

Expanded
View
O


FH
a) Shear Stress
Orientation
ds = Rd
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
pmax
b) Normal Stress Distribution
τ
a) Shear Stress Orientation
θ
Expanded
View
O
θ
O
R=D/2
p(θ)
τ(θ)
dS=Rd
c) Expanded View
Note:Not in scale
dθ
pH
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
0 100 200
Normal Stress, kPa
 = 10 mm
0 100 200
Normal Stress, kPa
 = 30 mm
0 100 200
Normal Stress, kPa
 = 120 mm
0 100 200
Normal Stress, kPa
 = 10 mm
0 100 200
Normal Stress, kPa
 = 30 mm
0 100 200
Normal Stress, kPa
 = 120 mm
b) Centerline Sensor
a) Side Sensor
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SOIL PRESSURE DISTRIBTION
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
θ
θ
θ
p(θ)
p(θ)tanδsinθ
p(θ)cosθ
fT = pNtanδ and fA = pHtanδ
Plot fT/fA vs tanδ
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
fT/fA VS tanδ
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
fT
𝑓𝐴
=
1.531
1.273 + 0.672 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛿
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
COUPLED TRANSVERSE & LONGITUDINAL SOIL FORCES
Gap Element:
Links Forces
Normal with
Forces Parallel
to Pipe By
Coulomb
Friction Law
tanT Nf p 
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
LESSONS: SOIL-PIPE INTERFACE
•Relationship Between Soil Force Normal to Pipe
Surface vs Force Normal to Pipe Longitudinal
Axis Is Key for Modeling Coupled Soil-Pipe
Interaction
•Evaluation of Friction Along Pipe from Soil
Force Normal to Longitudinal Axis.
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TOPIC
• Soil/Pipeline Interaction
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SOIL-PIPELINE INTERACTION
P
y
• Nonlinear Interaction
Relationships
Calibrated by Full-
Scale Experiments
• Can Replicate
Complex Interactions
in Pipe & Soil
• 3-D Continuum
Modeling Evolving;
Still Challenges
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SOIL-PIPELINE INTERACTION MODELS
Continuum (Robert et al 2016)
Continuum (Vazouras et al, 2012)
Shell & Discrete Soil Reactions
(Xie et al 2013)
Continuum (Xie et al 2013)
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
Pole for
planes
(’yy, ’yx)
(’xx, ’xy)
’ds
’ps 
’
’
(0, dxy/2)
(dyy, dyx/2)
Pole for
directions
d
d/2
CO

Mohr’s circle for incremental strain
(’ff, ’ff)
Mohr’s circle for stress
(After Lings and Dietz, 2004)
Pole for
planes
(’yy, ’yx)
(’xx, ’xy)
’ds
’ps 
’
’
(0, dxy/2)
(dyy, dyx/2)
Pole for
directions
d
d/2
CO

Mohr’s circle for incremental strain
(’ff, ’ff)
Mohr’s circle for stress
(After Lings and Dietz, 2004)
ψψ ψψ
Pole for
planes
(’yy, ’yx)
(’xx, ’xy)
’ds
’ps 
’
’
(0, dxy/2)
(dyy, dyx/2)
Pole for
directions
d
d/2
CO

Mohr’s circle for incremental strain
(’ff, ’ff)
Mohr’s circle for stress
(After Lings and Dietz, 2004)
Pole for
planes
(’yy, ’yx)
(’xx, ’xy)
’ds
’ps 
’
’
(0, dxy/2)
(dyy, dyx/2)
Pole for
directions
d
d/2
CO

Mohr’s circle for incremental strain
(’ff, ’ff)
Mohr’s circle for stress
(After Lings and Dietz, 2004)
ψψ ψψψψ ψψ
Direct Shear
Plane Strain
PLANE STRAIN & DIRECT SHEAR STRENGTH
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
GLACIAL FLUVIAL SAND
Density
d
(kN/m3)
ds-p
(degrees)
ps-p
(degrees)
ψp
(degrees)
Medium 15.5 ~ 16.5 35 ~ 37 41 ~ 44 3 ~ 6
Dense 16.5 ~ 17.5 38 ~ 40 45 ~ 47 7 ~ 10
Very Dense 17.5 ~ 18.0 41 ~ 43 48 ~ 49 11 ~ 17
300 mm
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
LARGE-SCALE 2-D TESTS
2.4 m
2.4
m
1.8 m
Direction of
pipe movement
North
Buried
pipe
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
Analytical Model:
 MC Yield Surface
 Strain Compatible Modulus
 Strain Softening from Peak
Shear
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
Void
VertDist,mm
Horizontal Distance, mm
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SIMULATION VS FULL-SCALE TEST RESULTS
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
MAXIMUM DIMENSIONLESS SOIL REACTION FORCE
Lateral Force Uplift Force
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SOIL-PIPE INTERACTION FOR DIFFERENT
MOVEMENT DIRECTIONS
Vertical
Downward
Oblique
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
MAX VERTICAL BEARING FORCE
Bearing Force
is ½ to 1/3
Conventional
Bearing Capacity
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
OBLIQUE SOIL-PIPE INTERACTION
45° Downward 45° Upward
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SOIL-PIPE INTERACTION
qVUUqOU NiN 
qVDDqOD NiN 


















 1
75.090
25.0
1
qVU
qH
up
up
U
N
N
i

















 1
75.090
25.0
1
qVD
qH
down
down
D
N
N
i


qim qim cF N H DL 
Fqim
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SOIL-PIPE INTERACTION
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SOIL-PIPE FORCE VS DISPLACEMENT RELATIONSHIPS
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SUCTION IN PARTIALLY SATURATED SOILS
Transpiration
Precipitation
Evaporation
Unsaturated Flow
Infiltration
Pipeline
Water table
Pores filled with
water
Meniscus formed
between particles
(After Robert et al, 2016)
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SUCTION EFFECTS IN PARTIALLY SATURATED SOILS
(After Robert et al, 2016)
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
DESIGN PROCEDURE
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
HDPE SIMULATION VS MEASURED RESPONSE
Strike Slip
Fault
Displacement:
250-mm Pipe
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
STRIKE SLIP: AXIAL/BENDING STRAINS
250-mm Pipe 400-mm Pipe
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
LESSONS: SOIL-PIPELINE INTERACTION
• Integrated Methodology for Soil-Pipe
Interaction for All Pipe Movement Directions
and Depths: Hc/D ≥ 2
• Simulations Show Vertical Downward Soil/Pipe
Reaction Force ~ ½ to 1/3 Conventional
Bearing Capacity Force
• Suction-Enhanced Soil-Pipe Force
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TOPIC
• 2D AND 3D BEHAVIOR
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
3D SOIL-PIPELINE INTERACTION
• Steel, HDPE and Cast
Iron
• Frequently Used D/t s
• D/L = 10
L
D
Apply Max Lateral Soil-Pipe Pressure to Simply Supported 3D Pipe (Shell) as
Proxy to Detect Transverse Distortion
D/t = 96
D = 900 mm
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
3D SOIL-PIPELINE INTERACTION
600mm
600mm
HDPE
400mm
Steel
& HDPE
Cast
Iron
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
3D SOIL-PIPELINE INTERACTION
• 1.7-m-diameter
Pipeline
• X-36 Steel
• 25 mm Wall
Thickness to
Resist Ovaling
• Polyethylene
Wrapped Around
Fusion Bonded
Epoxy
SFPUC Alameda Siphon No. 4
Calaveras Fault Crossing
Nisar et al. (2015)
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TOPIC
• Next Generation Hazard
Resilient Pipelines
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
NEXT GENERATION HAZARD-RESILIENT PIPELINES
Wall Street
Journal Photo
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
NEXT GENERATION HAZARD-RESILIENT PIPELINES
8.6º
6 in.
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
LARGE-SCALE TESTING: NEXT GENERATION INFASTRUCTURE
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE 57
ORIENTED POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVCO) JOINTS
Spigot Compressed into Bell
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
ORIENTED POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVCO) JOINTS
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
CONTROLLED
BUCKLING
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
CONTROLLED BUCKLING
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
LESSONS: NEXT GENERATION (HAZARD-
RESILIENT) PIPELINES
•Paradigm Shift in Pipeline Technology
•Market-Driven Research Funded by
Industry
•Can’t Have Resilience Unless You Have a
Market
•Next Generation Hazard-Resilient Pipeline
Simulation Models
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
ADVANCED SENSORS
• Collaboration Among University of Cambridge,
Cornell, and UC Berkeley
• Demonstrate Proof of Concept
• Distributed Fiber Optics
• Joint Movement
• Pipeline Bending Strains & Displacement
• Time Domain Reflectometry
• Leakage
• Underground Wireless
• Data Transmission Without Wires
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
LESSONS: NEXT GENERATION (HAZARD-
RESILIENT) PIPELINES
•Paradigm Shift in Pipeline Technology
•Market-Driven Research Funded by
Industry
•Can’t Have Resilience Unless You Have a
Intelligence
•Next Generation Hazard-Resilient Pipeline
Simulation Models
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TOPIC
• Pipeline System Performance
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE SEQUENCE
• ~ 185 Deaths
• CBD Destroyed
– ~ 1800 CBD Bldgs.
Demolished
– ~ 55,000 Residences
Damaged
• > $30(US) B Direct
Losses ≈ 20 % GDP
• Massive Liquefaction&
Infrastructure Damage
Christchurch
Christchurch
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE SEQUENCE
MW = 7.1
4 Sept 10
MW = 6.0
13 June 11
MW = 6.2
22 Feb 11
MW = 5.9
23 Dec 11
MW = 5.7
14 Feb 16
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
CHRISTCHURCH LIQUEFACTION
52 km2
96 km2
91 km2
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
San Francisco borderline
Liquefied
Area
CHRISTCHURCH
LIQUEFACTION IN
SAN FRANCISCO
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
LIGHT DETECTION & RANGING (LiDAR)
• High Resolution
LiDAR
Measurements
• Settlement on 5-m
• Lateral
Movement
on 4 & 56-m
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
GROUND DEFORMATION METRICS
• From Boscardin & Cording (1989) for Building Damage:
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
EARTHQUAKE PIPELINE DAMAGE
Cast Iron (CI)
Polyvinyl
Chloride
(PVC)
Asbestos
Cement (AC)
Concrete (CONC)
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE720 1 2 3 40.5
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SCREENING CRITERIA
• Repair Locations Checked by GIS
• Discount Landslides/Rockfall Areas
• Assume Poisson Distribution for Repairs
( ) (1p RR x p   
Poisson distribution: μ = (RR)x, and σ = [(RR)x]½
Sampled repairs follow normal distr. (central limit theorem)
1
1 2 2
c
c
p
x RR


       
    
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
MAXIMUM PRINCIPAL LATERAL STRAIN
• Create Bilinear
Quadrilateral
Finite Element
from Lateral
Displacements
at Grid Corners
to Determine
Principal Strain
y, v
x, u
1 2
34
u1 u2
u4 u3
v2v1
v4 v3
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
REPAIR RATE VS ANGULAR DISTORTION AND LATERAL STRAIN
r2 = 0.86
r2 = 0.79
r2 = 0.88
Angular
Distortion
on 5-m
Spacing
Lateral
Strain
From
4 m x 4m
Cells
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
REPAIR RATE FOR COMBINED ANGULAR DISTORTION
AND LATERAL STRAINAsbestos Cement (AC) Pipelines
Cast Iron (CI) Pipelines
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
CUMULATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF
TENSILE LATERAL GROUND STRAINS
Exceedance
Levels
Ground Strain
Accommodation
6 in.
8.6º
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
THERMALLY WELDED PE VS CONVENTIONAL JOINTED
PIPELINE SYSTEMS
Water Distribution System
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
LESSONS FROM CHRISTCHURCH
• Extraordinary dataset: multiple EQs, dense ground
motion array, massive liquefaction, high density
LiDAR, geocoded repairs for thousands of km of
different pipelines
• First time comprehensive assessment of
underground lifeline response to liquefaction-
induced differential vertical movement and lateral
strain
• Unified methodology for building & lifeline damage
vs differential vertical & lateral ground movements
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
TOPIC
• Impact on Communities
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
200 km
N
San
Francisco
5 km
120 km2
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
EARTHQUAKE SAFETY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE BOND
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SAN FRANCISCO AUXILLIARY WATER SUPPLY
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
•7.8 Mw
Deterministic EQ
•Water Demands in
Fire Response
Areas
•Monte Carlo AWSS
Network
Simulations
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SUMMARY
• Coupled Soil-Pipe Forces for Soil-Pipeline Analysis
• Link Between Lateral Soil-Pipe Force and Pipe
Surface Frictional Resistance
• Methodology for Soil-Pipe Interaction in Granular Soil
for Any Pipe Movement Direction and Depth
• Vertical Downward Pipe Force Significantly Less Than
Conventional Bearing Capacity
• Soil Suction Effects
PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE
SUMMARY
• Guidance on Beam vs Shell Analysis for Soil-Pipe
Interaction. Transverse Distortion Important for
Diameters > 600 mm (Steel and Cast Iron)
• Next Generation Hazard Resilient Pipelines
• Canterbury EQ Sequence As Large-Scale Lab for
Characterizing Liquefaction Ground Deformation
• Unified Methodology for Pipeline and Building
Response to Soil Settlement and Lat’l. Displacement
• Impact on Communities

Ground deformation effects on subsurface pipelines and infrastructure