DEFORMATION BEHAVIOR OF BURIED PIPELINES WITH ELBOWS SUBJECTED TO LARGE GROUND DISPLACEMENT

A study has been carried out to evaluate the earthquake-resistance of buried gas pipelines subjected to lateral ground displacement due to ground liquefaction during earthquakes. In-plane bending experiments were conducted in the closing and opening direction for various kinds of elbows, where deformation are likely to concentrate. An FEA (Finite Element Analysis) were also carried out to represent the deformation behavior of the elbows using linear shell elements, and the validity of the numerical modeling technique over 20% of plastic strain was demonstrated. Furthermore, an analytical study was demonstrated for the evaluation of the deformation behavior of a typical buried pipeline with an elbow.