Lateral response of underground pipelines to earthquakes

The effects that different supporting conditions have on the lateral response of underground pipeline structures to earthquakes are examined. Important factors that contribute to the response are identified and the relative importance of their effects is assessed. Efficient analytical approaches are reported with which the associated bending stresses in the pipeline can be determined, and comparisons of the results of such approaches with accurate numerical solutions show excellent agreement. At points close to the supports, the pipeline bending stresses are sensitive to changes in the supporting conditions, and the information reported in this study is useful for the evaluation of that sensitivity in design practice.