Static Response of Deeply Buried Elliptical Tubes

Abstract

A parametric study of elliptical tubes deeply buried in uniform elastic ground is reported. The static tube response is determined using both analytical and numerical methods for a range of tube geometries and ground and interface conditions. The structural response is evaluated for both rigid structures and structures that are flexible in bending. The solutions are presented in a series of figures, and a simple procedure is developed for calculating distributions of hoop force, bending moment, and radial deflection by means of simple hand calculations. An example problem is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the simplified analysis.