Buried Pipe Modeling

C HAPTER 1 0
Modeler Overview ................................................................ 10-2

Using the Underground Pipe Modeler .................................. 10-3
Notes on the Soil Model........................................................ 10-8
Recommended Procedures.................................................... 10-15
Example ................................................................................ 10-16
You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)
The CAESAR II Underground Pipe Modeler is designed to simplify user input of buried pipe data. This
processor will take an unburied layout and bury it. The Modeler performs the following functions for users:
Allows the direct input of soil properties. The Modeler contains the equations for buried pipe
stiffnesses that are outlined later in this chapter. These equations are used to calculate first the
stiffnesses on a per length of pipe basis, and then generate the restraints that simulate the discrete
buried pipe restraint.
Breaks down straight and curved lengths of pipe to locate soil restraints. uses a zone
concept to break down straight and curved sections. Where transverse bearing is a concern for
example near bends, tees, and entry/exit points soil restraints are located in close proximity.
Breaks down straight and curved pipe so that when axial loads dominate, soil restraints are spaced
far apart.
Allows the direct input of user-defined soil stiffnesses on a per length of pipe basis. Input
parameters include axial, transverse, upward, and downward stiffnesses, as well as ultimate loads.
You can specify user-defined stiffnesses separately, or in conjunction with s
automatically generated soil stiffnesses.
You can start the Buried Pipe Modeler by selecting an existing unburied job, and then choosing InputUnderground from the CAESAR II Main Menu. The Modeler is designed to read a standard CAESAR II
Input Data File that describes the basic layout of the piping system as if it was not buried. From this basic input
creates a second input data file that contains the buried pipe model. This second input file typically
contains a much larger number of elements and restraints than the first job. The first job that serves as the pattern is termed the original job. The second file that contains the element mesh refinement and the buried pipe
restraints is termed the buried job. names the buried job by appending a B to the name of the
original job.
Note The original job must already exist and serves as the pattern for the buried pipe model building.
The modeler removes any restraints in the buried section during the process of creating the buried
model. Any additional restraints in the buried section can be entered in the resulting buried model. The
buried job, if it exists, is overwritten by the successful generation of a buried pipe model. It is the
buried job that is eventually run to compute displacements and stresses.
When the Buried Pipe Modeler is initially started, the following screen appears:
This spreadsheet is used to enter the buried element descriptions for the job. The buried element description
spreadsheet serves several functions:
allows you to define which part of the piping system is buried.
allows you to define mesh spacing at specific element ends.
allows the input of user-defined soil stiffnesses
Typical buried pipe displacements are considerably different than similar above ground displacements. Buried
pipe deforms laterally in areas immediately adjacent to changes in directions (i.e. bends and tees). In areas far
removed from bends and tees the deformation is primarily axial. The optimal size of an element (i.e. the distance
between a single FROM and a TO node) is very dependent on which of these deformation patterns is to be
modeled. Not having a continuous support model, or the user, must locate additional point supports
along a line to simulate this continuous support. So for a given stiffness per unit length, either many, closely
spaced, low stiffness supports are added or a few, distant and high stiffness supports are added. Where the
deformation is lateral, smaller elements are needed to properly distribute the forces from the pipe to the soil.
The length over which the pipe deflects laterally is termed the lateral bearing length and can be calculated by
the equation:
Lb = 0.75( ) [4EI/Ktr] 0.25
Where:
E = Pipe modulus of elasticity
I = Pipe moment of inertia
Ktr = Transverse soil stiffness on a per length basis, (defined later)
places three elements in the vicinity of this bearing span to properly model the local load distribution.
The bearing span lengths in a piping system are called the Zone 1 lengths. The axial displacement lengths in a
piping system are called the Zone 3 lengths, and the intermediate lengths in a piping system are called the Zone
2 lengths. Zone 3 element lengths (to properly transmit axial loads) are computed by 100*Do, where Do is the
outside diameter of the piping. The Zone 2 mesh is comprised of up to 4 elements of increasing length; starting
at 1.5 times the length of a Zone 1 element at its Zone 1 end, and progressing in equal increments to the last
which is 50*Do long at the Zone 3 end. A typical piping system, and how views this element
breakdown or mesh distribution is illustrated below. All pipe density is set to zero for all pipe identified as
buried, so that deadweight causes no bending around these point supports.
Zone Definitions
Note: automatically puts a Zone 1 mesh gradient at each side of the pipe framing into an
elbow. It is your responsibility to tell where the other Zone 1 areas are located in the piping
system.
A critical part of the modeling of an underground piping system is the proper definition of Zone 1or lateral
bearing regions. These bearing regions primarily occur:
On either side of a change in direction.

For all pipes framing into an intersection.
At points where the pipe enters or leaves the soil.
Using any user-defined node within or near Zone 1.
The left side of the Buried Element Description Spreadsheet displays below:
Bur ied Element Description Spreadsheet
There are 13 columns in this spreadsheet. The eight not shown above carry the user-defined soil stiffnesses and
ultimate loads. The first two columns contain element node numbers for each piping element included in the
original system. The next three columns Soil Model No, From End Mesh Type, To End Mesh Type, are
discussed in detail below:
Soil Model No.This column is used to define which of the elements in the model are buried. A nonzero entry
in this column implies that the associated element is buried. A 1 in this column implies that the user wishes to
enter user defined stiffnesses, on a per length of pipe basis, at this point in the model. These stiffnesses must
follow in column numbers 6 through 13. Any number greater than 1 in the SOIL MODEL NO. column points
to a soil restraint model generated using the equations outlined later under Soil Models from user
entered soil data.
From/ To End Mesh TypeA check in either of these columns implies that a Zone 1 should be placed at the
corresponding element end. For example:
FROM
TO
SOIL
FROM TO
NODE
NODE
MODEL MESH MESH
10
The element 5 to 10 is buried. will generate the soil stiffnesses from user-defined soil dataset #2, and
the node 5 end will have a fine mesh so that lateral bearing will be properly modeled. Since
automatically places lateral bearing meshes adjacent to all buried elbows, the user must only be concerned with
the identification of buried tees and points of soil entry or exit. The figure below is illustrative:
Please note the following:
The user has separated the node numbers in the original piping system by varying the incremental
range by 20. This is so can maintain the sequence of node numbers for the added nodes.
This is not required but is useful in comprehending results. For very long runs, node increments of
100 may be helpful.
From/To Lateral Bearing mesh specifications are not needed for nodes 30, 110 and 130, since
places lateral bearing meshes on each side of a bend by default.
A lateral bearing mesh is not needed at 90 because there is no tendency for the model to deflect in
any direction NOT axial to the pipe.
The tendency for lateral deflection must be defined for each element framing into an intersection
(node 50).
Commands available in this module are:
File Open
File-Change
Buried Pipe Job
Name
File- Print
Opens a new piping file as the original job.

Renames the buried job (in the event that the user does not wish to use the
default of B appended to the original job name).
Prints the element description data spreadsheet.
Allows the user to specify soil data for to use in generating one or more
Soil Models soil restraint systems. This is described in detail below.
Convert
Converts the original job into the buried job by meshing the existing elements and
adding soil restraints. The conversion process creates all of the necessary elements to
satisfy the Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3 requirements, and places restraints on the
elements in these zones accordingly. All elbows are broken down into at least two
curved sections, and very long radius elbows are broken down into segments whose
lengths are not longer than the elements in the immediately adjacent Zone 1 pipe
section. Node numbers are generated by adding 1 to the elements FROM node
number. checks before using a node number to make sure that it will be
unique in the model. All densities on buried pipe elements are zeroed to simulate the
continuous support of the pipe weight. A conversion log is also generated, which
details the process in full.
The following procedures for estimating soil distributed stiffnesses and ultimate loads should be used only when
the analyst does not have better data or methods suited to the particular site and problem. Our soil restraint
modeling algorithms are based on the ideas presented by (1) The CAESAR II Basic Model L.C. Peng in his
paper entitled Stress Analysis Methods for Underground Pipelines, published in 1978 in Pipeline Industry and
(2) Appendix B: Soil Spring Representation from the Guidelines for the Design of Buried Steel Pipe by the
American Lifelines Alliance http://www.americanlifelinesalliance.org/pdf/Update061305.pdf.
Soil supports are modeled as bi-linear springs having an initial stiffness, an ultimate load, and a yield stiffness.
The yield stiffness is typically set close to zero, i.e. once the ultimate load on the soil is reached there is no
further increase in load even though the displacement may continue. The two basic ultimate loads that must be
calculated to analyze buried pipe are the axial and transverse ultimate loads. Many researchers differentiate
between horizontal, upward, and downward transverse loads, but when the variance in predicted soil properties
and methods are considered, this differentiation is often not warranted. Note that allows the explicit
entry of these data if so desired.
Once the axial and lateral ultimate loads are known, the stiffness in these directions can be determined by
dividing the ultimate load by the yield displacement. Researchers have found that the yield displacement is
related to both the buried depth and the pipe diameter. The ultimate loads and stiffnesses computed are on a
force per unit length of pipe basis.
The user enters soil data by executing the Soil Models Command. This option allows the user to
specify the soil properties for the CAESAR II Buried Pipe Equations.
Note Valid soil model numbers start with 2. Soil model number 1 is reserved for user-defined soil
stiffnesses. Up to 15 different soil models may be entered for a single job.
Upon entry, the soil modeler dialog appears. Select either the CAESAR II Basic Model (Peng) or the American
LifeLines Alliance.
Either the friction coefficient or the undrained shear strength may be left blank. Typically for clays the friction
coefficient would be left blank and would be automatically estimated by as Su/600 psf. Both sandy
soils and clay-like soils may be defined here.
The soil restraint equations use these soil properties to generate restraint ultimate loads and stiffnesses. The
TEMPERATURE CHANGE is optional. If entered the thermal strain is used to compute and print the theoretical
virtual anchor length.) These equations are:
Axial Ultimate Load (Fax)
Fax = D[ (2 sH) + (
t) + (
)(D/4) ]
Where:
ent, typical values are:
0.4 for silt
0.5 for sand
0.6 for gravel
0.6 for clay or Su/600
Su = Undrained shear strength (specified for clay-like soils)
D =
s
Buried depth to the top of pipe
Pipe density
Pipe nominal wall thickness
Fluid density
Pipe diameter
Soil density
t
f
Transverse Ultimate Load (Ftr)

Ftr = 0.5
(H+D)2[tan(45 + /2 2OCM
If S u is given (i.e. has a clay-like soil), then Ftr as calculated above is multiplied by Su/250 psf.
Where:
= Angle of internal friction, typical values are:
27-45 for sand
26-35 for silt
0 for clay
Notes on the Overburden Compaction Multiplier (OCM)

The OCM is an artificial CAESAR II term used to allow you to take a conservative approach when modeling
uncertain soil response. Since a higher stiffness will generally produce conservative results, you may wish to
increase the transverse soil stiffness, CAESAR II uses the OCM to serve this purpose.
Users have reduced the OCM (from its default of 8) to values ranging from 5 to 7, depending on the degree of
compaction of the backfill. There is no theory which suggests that the OCM cannot equal 1.0.
For a strict implementation of Peng's Theory as discussed in his articles (April 78 and May 78 issue of Pipeline
Industry) you should use a value of 1.0 for the OCM.
Yield Displacement (yd):
yd = Yield Displacement Factor(H+D)
Note: The Yield Displacement Factor defaults to 0.015(suggested for H = 3D).

Axial Stiffness (Kax) on a per length of pipe basis:
Kax=Fax / yd
Transverse Stiffness (Ktr) on a per length of pipe basis:
Ktr=Ftr / yd
Once you click OK, the soil data is saved in a file entitled .SOI.
The following information references the American Lifelines Alliance document "Guidelines for the Design of
Buried Steel Pipe " Appendix B: Soil Spring Representation
http://www.americanlifelinesalliance.org/pdf/Update061305.pdf. This document provides bilinear stiffness of
soil for axial, lateral, uplift and bearing. Each stiffness term has a component associated with sandy soils
(subscripted q) and a component associated with clays (subscripted c). Data can be entered for pure granular
soils and pure clays.
Soil stiffness for both clay and sand (cohesive and granular soils, respectively) are defined through the following
parameters supplied by the user:
soil cohesion representative of the soil backfill
soil depth to top of pipe (this is converted by C2 to depth to pipe centerline in ALA calculations)
effective unit weight of soil

total dry unit weight of fill
K0
coefficient of earth pressure at rest (can be calculated based on internal friction angle of soil)
coating-dependent factor relating the internal friction angle of the soil to the friction angle at the
soil-pipe interface
internal friction angle of soil
Elastic range of soil is either fixed or a function of D & H with limits based on D.
Axial
Length units
Lateral
Multiple of D
Upward
Multiple of H
(dQu) Upward
Multiple of D
0.04(H+D/2)
Minimum
Downward
Multiple of D
Axial:
Tu
D c
DH 1 K 0 tan
Tu
peak friction force at pipe-soil interface maximum axial soil force per unit length that can be
transmitted to pipe)
pipe OD
adhesion factor (for clays only)
0.608 0.123c
0.274
c2 1
0.695
c 3 1 where c is in ksf
soil cohesion representative of the soil backfill (undrained shear strength)
depth of cover to pipe centerline

effective unit weight of soil
K0
coefficient of earth pressure at rest
The ratio of the horizontal effective stress acting on a supporting structure and the vertical effective stress in the
soil at that point. At rest indicates the pipe does not move for this calculation.
interface angle of friction for pipe and soil,
coating-dependent factor relating the internal friction angle of the soil to the friction angle at
the soil-pipe interface
Concrete
1.0
Coal Tar
0.9
Rough Steel
0.8
Smooth Steel
0.7
Fusion Bonded Epoxy
0.6
Polyethylene
0.6
internal friction angle of soil

t
axial displacement to develop
Tu = 0.1 inch for dense sand

= 0.2 inch for loose sand
= 0.3 inch for stiff clay
= 0.4 inch for soft clay
Lateral:
Pu
N ch cD
N qh HD
Pu
maximum horizontal soil bearing capacity (maximum lateral soil force per unit length that can be
transmitted to pipe)
N ch
horizontal soil bearing capacity factor for clay (0 for c=0)
N qh
N ch
a bx
N qh
a b ( x) c ( x 2 ) d ( x 3 ) e( x 4 )
( x 1)
( x 1) 3
Nch
H/D
6.752
0.065
-11.063
7.119
--
Nqh
20
H/D
2.399
0.439
-0.03
1.059E-3
-1.754E-5
Nqh
25
H/D
3.332
0.839
-0.090
5.606E-3
-1.319E-4
Nqh
30
H/D
4.565
1.234
-0.089
4.275E-3
-9.159E-5
Nqh
35
H/D
6.816
2.019
-0.146
7.651E-3
-1.683E-4
Nqh
40
H/D
10.959
1.783
0.045
-5.425E-3
-1.153E-4
Nqh
45
H/D
17.658
3.309
0.048
-6.443E-3
-1.299E-4
horizontal displacement to develop
0.04( H
D
)
2
0.01D
to 0.15D
Vertical Uplift:
Qu
N cv cD
N qv HD
Qu
maximum vertical upward soil bearing capacity (maximum vertical uplift soil force per unit length
that can be transmitted to pipe)
N cv
vertical upward soil bearing capacity factor for clay (0 for c=0)
N qv
N qv
vertical upward soil bearing capacity factor for sand (0 for
H
)
44 D
Nq
H
) 10
D
applicable for (H/D)
N cv
2(
N qv
Nq
exp( tan ) tan 2 (45
qu
H
)
44 D
Nq
)
Qu
vertical displacement to develop
= 0.01H to 0.02H for dense to loose sands < 0.1D

= 0.1H to 0.2H for stiff to soft clays < 0.2D
Vertical Bearing:
Qd
N c cD
Qd
N q HD
D2
2
maximum vertical bearing soil force per unit length that can be transmitted to pipe
Nc , Nq , N
vertical downward soil bearing capacity factors
Nc
[cot(
0.001)]{exp[ tan(
Nq
exp( tan ) tan 2 (45
e ( 0.18
0.001)] tan 2 (45
0.001
) 1}
2
2.5)
total dry unit weight of fill

qd
vertical displacement to develop
Qd
= 0.1D for granular soils

= 0.2D for cohesive soils
The recommended procedure for using the buried pipe modeler is outlined below:
1 Select the original unburied job and enter the buried pipe modeler. The original job must already
exist, and will serve as the basis for the pipe model. The original model need only contain the basic
geometry of the piping system. The modeler will remove any existing restraints in the buried
portion. Add any additional underground restraints ( e.g. thrust block) to the buried model. Rename
the buried job if the default name (JOBNAME B) is not appropriate.
2 Enter the soil data using Soil Models or collect any user-defined soil data.
3 Describe the sections of the piping system that are buried, and define any required fine mesh areas
using the buried element data spreadsheet or enter user-defined soil data (columns 6-13).
4 Convert the original model into the buried model by clicking Convert Input. This step produces a
detailed description of the conversion.
5 Exit the Buried Pipe Modeler and return to the CAESAR II Main Menu. From here the user may
review and edit the buried model and perform the analysis of the buried pipe job.
A buried-pipe example problem is shown in the following section. This example illustrates the features of the
modeler and should in no-way be taken as a guide for recommended underground piping design.
The following input listing represents the unburied model shown above.
Terminal nodes 100 and 1900 are above ground. Nodes 1250 and 1650 (on the sloped runs) mark the soil entry
and exit points.
Soil Model Number 2, a sandy soil, is entered.
Elements 1250-1300 through 1600-1650 are buried using soil model number 2. Zone 1 meshing is indicated at
the entry and exit points.
Clicking Convert on the toolbar to begins the conversion to a buried model.
The screen listing can also be printed.
The original unburied model is shown along with the "buried" model below. Note the added restraints around the
elbows and along the straight runs.
Note the bi-linear restraints added to the buried model. The stiffness used is based upon the distance between
nodes.
Note that the first buried element, 1250-1251, has no density.
The buried job can now be analyzed.

Buried Pipe Modeling

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Buried Pipe Modeling

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

C HAPTER 1 0

Modeler Overview ................................................................ 10-2

On either side of a change in direction.

Bur ied Element Description Spreadsheet

MODEL MESH MESH

Please note the following:

Opens a new piping file as the original job.

Buried depth to the top of pipe

Pipe nominal wall thickness

Transverse Ultimate Load (Ftr)

Notes on the Overburden Compaction Multiplier (OCM)

Note: The Yield Displacement Factor defaults to 0.015(suggested for H = 3D).

effective unit weight of soil

soil cohesion representative of the soil backfill (undrained shear strength)

depth of cover to pipe centerline

coefficient of earth pressure at rest

Fusion Bonded Epoxy

internal friction angle of soil

axial displacement to develop

Tu = 0.1 inch for dense sand

horizontal soil bearing capacity factor for clay (0 for c=0)

horizontal displacement to develop

vertical upward soil bearing capacity factor for sand (0 for

exp( tan ) tan 2 (45

vertical displacement to develop

= 0.01H to 0.02H for dense to loose sands < 0.1D

vertical downward soil bearing capacity factors

exp( tan ) tan 2 (45

0.001)] tan 2 (45

total dry unit weight of fill

vertical displacement to develop

= 0.1D for granular soils

Soil Model Number 2, a sandy soil, is entered.

Clicking Convert on the toolbar to begins the conversion to a buried model.

The screen listing can also be printed.

Note that the first buried element, 1250-1251, has no density.

The buried job can now be analyzed.

You might also like