Finite Element Model of Buried Pipelines

Crossing Strike-Slip Faults by

ABAQUS/EXPLICIT
Hasan Emre Demirci
PhD Candidate
University of Surrey

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 Objectives of the Presentation

1. Quasi-static Analysis in ABAQUS/Explicit

2. Energy Content Concept

3. Validation of ABAQUS/Explicit Model

– Lateral movement of pipes in a soil medium
– Pipelines crossing strike-slip faults

4. Energy Content results

5. Conclusions

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 A Quasi-static problem: Pipelines crossing active faults

Prediction of pipeline strains under faults : Finite Element based software

(ANSYS, ABAQUS, etc.)

Pipelines crossing active faults are analysed by using static (quasi-static)

analysis due to the fault loading is static rather than dynamic. (inertial force
development is negligible)

ABAQUS/Standard module: It is capable of performing static and quasi-static

analysis and it has been mostly used for solving soil-pipeline interaction
problems in the literature (Vazouras et al. 2010, 2012, 2015)

There may occur convergence problems causing difficulties in reaching ultimate

solution in ABAQUS/Standard model due to complexity in the soil-pipe
interaction model including non-linear material behaviour of soil and pipe,
geometric nonlinearity of the pipe and contact between soil and pipe.

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 A Quasi-static problem: Pipelines crossing active faults

ABAQUS/Explicit module is very powerful to deal with complicated contact

problems.

In this study, lateral movement of a pipe in clay soil has been simulated by using
both ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit modules and the results (soil
resistance–lateral displacement) are compared to the values suggested in ASCE
Guidelines (1984) for validation purpose.

The efficiency of ABAQUS/Explicit module is investigated for simulating

pipelines crossing PGD zones, particularly buried pipelines crossing strike-slip
faults. The maximum tensile and compressive pipe strains obtained by
ABAQUS/Explicit analysis are compared to those values obtained by analytical
methodologies (Sarvanis and Karamanos (2017), Karamitros et al. 2007) in
order to validate 3D FE model.

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 Energy Content Concept

Energy Balance Concept for Quasi-Static Analysis

ALLKE < 5% of ALLIE
(ALLKE = System Kinetic Energy, ALLIE = system internal energy)

Dealing with hour-glassing problem

ALLAE < 5% of ALLIE
(ALLAE = Internal Hourglass Energy)

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 Lateral Movement of a pipe in a soil medium

Engineering properties of the soil

and pipe and contact parameters
used for FE modelling
Soil: Clay
Elastic Plastic
E ABAQUS/Standard ABAQUS/Explicit
25 φ (°) 0
(MPa)
ϑ 0.3 Ψ (°) 0
  c (kPa) 50
Pipe: Steel Pipe 300
Elastic Plastic
Yield Stress, MPa
E (GPa) 210 (σy) 450
ϑ 0.3    

Load (kN/m)
Contact 200
Tangential Normal
μ 0.3 Hard Contact

100

ABAQUS/Explicit
ABAQUS/Standard
ASCE Guidelines (1984)
0
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15
Lateral Displacement (m)

Lateral soil-pipe interaction for ABAQUS /Explicit,

ABAQUS/Standard and ASCE Guidelines (1984)

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 3D FE Model of Pipelines crossing strike-slip faults

2.5m
5m

z
10m

Moving Block Fixed Block

Equivalent
Equivalent
Boundary Springs
Boundary Springs

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 Validation of 3D FE Model of Pipelines crossing strike-
slip faults via the analytical method

Engineering properties of the soil and 0.015

Maximum Tensile Strain - Karamitros et al. 2007
pipe and contact parameters used for Maximum Compressive Strain - Karamitros et al. 2007

Maximum Tensile (T)/Compressive Strain (C)

FE modelling Maximum Tensile Strain - Sarvanis and Karamanos (2017)
Maximum Compressive Strain - Sarvanis and Karamanos (2017)
Maximum Tensile Strain (FEM-ABAQUS/Explicit)
Maximum Compressive Strain (FEM-ABAQUS/Explicit)
Soil: Medium Sand 0.010
Elastic Plastic
E (MPa) 20 φ (°) 32
ϑ 0.35 Ψ (°) 1
  c (kPa) 1
0.005
Pipe: Steel Pipe
Elastic Plastic
Yield Stress, MPa
E (GPa) 210 (σy) 490
ϑ 0.3     0.0 0.5 1.0
0.000
Contact
Tangential Normal
μ 0.3 Hard Contact

-0.005
Fault Displacement,  (m)

Maximum tensile and compressive pipe strains obtained

from FE analysis and analytical methodologies

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 Energy Content

6x106 ALLAE
ALLIE
ALLKE
5x106 ETOTAL

4x106
Energy (J)

3x106

2x106

1x106

0 20 40 60
Time (sec)

Energy content for ABAQUS/Explicit model, showing variation of ALLAE, ALLKE, ALLIE and
ETOTAL with time
 

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 Conclusions

1) The FE models were validated with ABAQUS/Standard module and analytical

results in terms of load-displacement relationships and longitudinal pipe strains
for various fault displacements.

2) Good agreement was achieved and the explicit solution technique can be
considered as a reliable tool to effectively simulate quasi-static loading
problems such as pipelines crossing faults.

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 References

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Ha, D., Abdoun T. H., O’Rourke, M. J., Symans, M. D., O’Rourke, T. D., Palmer, M. C., and Stewart, H. E.
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Karamitros D.K., Bouckovalas G.D. & Kouretzis G.P. (2007). Stress Analysis of Buried Steel Pipelines at
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Karamitros D.K., Bouckovalas G.D., Kouretzis G.P., and Gkesouli V. (2011). An Analytical Method for
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 Thank you for your attention!
Questions???

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