Experimental Study on Integral Sinking of Ultralong Asymmetric Steel Pipeline

Ye, J.; Zhou, X.; Yu, J.; Fu, D., and Wang, L., 2020. Experimental study on integral sinking of ultralong asymmetric steel pipeline. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 672–676. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The integral sinking of sea-crossing steel pipeline is a pipe-laying method by which pipe elements are assembled into an integrated pipeline, floated to a specified location, and then straightened, injected with water, and sunk to the bottom. At present, the integral sinking construction of pipeline mainly depends on experience to determine the construction scheme, and the mechanical response of the pipeline is not clear. This study aims to look at the variation law of the hoist cable tension, strain, and displacement of ultralong pipelines in the sinking phase. For this, five schemes were conducted in physical model tests. The results show that: (1) the location and spacing of the hoisting points have an important effect on the force of the pipeline; (2) the most effective way to reduce displacement of and strain on the pipeline and tension in the hoist cable is to increase the number of hoisting points; and (3) the pipeline is in a complex stress state during the process of integral sinking, and the strains at the hoisting points, midpoint, and turning points of long inclined pipe sections are huge, which requires more attention. The research results provide a reference for related engineering.