Response analysis of buried pipelines crossing fault due to overlying soil rupture

A 3-D soil-pipe nonlinear finite element model with contact element is suggested and the influences of the rupture mode, thickness and rigidity of overlying soil on the response of buried pipeline are analyzed. The numerical results show that the soil rupture mode determines the location of the large deformation or failure of the pipeline, and the plastic deformation of the pipeline occurs at the zone where the plastic deformation or rupture of the overlying soil appears. When the fault dip angle on bedrock is near 90°, two plastic deformation sections of the pipeline appear with the development of overlying soil rupture. And the thicker the overlying soil is, the longer the plastic deformation length of the pipeline is and the less its strain is. The plastic deformation length of the pipeline decreases while its maximum strain increases with the rigidity of overlying soil increasing.