Numerical Analysis of Mechanical Behavior of Buried Pipes in Subsidence Area Caused by Underground Mining

Abstract

The buried pipe crossing the subsidence area is prone to failure. The mechanical behavior of buried pipe in subsidence area was investigated in this paper. Effects of subsidence displacement, pipe parameters and soil parameters on the mechanical behavior were investigated. The results show that high stress appears on the pipe's surface and exceeds the yield strength after the strata subsidence. As subsidence displacement increases, the ranges of high-stress area and displacement increase, and the pipe section changes from a circle to an ellipse. The maximum axial strain occurs on the pipe in no-subsidence area. The maximum plastic strain and ovality of the pipe increase with the increasing of subsidence displacement. The displacement, plastic strain, and ovality of the pipe increase with the increasing of diameter–thickness ratio and buried depth. Internal pressure and friction coefficient has a little effect on the pipe displacement. The ovality decreases as internal pressure increases. The plastic strain and ovality increase with the increasing of the friction coefficient. As the elastic modulus and cohesion of soil increase, the displacement, plastic strain, and ovality of the pipe increase. The effect of Poisson's ratio on the deformation of pipe is small.