Buckling Response Analysis of Buried Steel Pipe under Multiple Explosive Loadings

Abstract

The structural integrity of buried pipe is always threatened by explosive loads. To investigate the mechanical response of a buried steel pipe under multiple explosions, pipe–soil interaction models in soil and rock layers under two-point explosive loads were created. The effects of explosion point, interval time, trinitrotoluene (TNT) magnitude, pipe pressure, and the diameter-thickness ratio on the mechanical behavior of a steel pipe were investigated. Those results show that plastic deformation occurs and a dent appears on the right and upside wall of the steel pipe. The difference between pipes in soil and rock layers is small. When two points explode simultaneously, the maximum plastic deformation and total energy are larger than in a one-point explosion. With increasing interval time between two-point explosions, a pipe’s deformation and total energy decrease gradually. The deformation, total energy, and plastic strain of the buried pipe increase gradually in a soil stratum as the TNT magnitude ratio and the pipe’s diameter-thickness ratio increase. For a nonpressure pipe, plastic strain, deformation, and total energy are greater than in pressure pipes.