SOIL ARCHING OVER DEEPLY BURIED THERMOPLASTIC PIPE (WITH DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE)

Soil arching associated with buried thermoplastic pipe is discussed. First, the soil arching phenomenon is described. Then two different approaches are mentioned from the literature to represent the degree of soil arching (or vertical arching factor). The elastic solutions of Burns and Richard are revisited to derive expressions for the vertical soil arching factor for buried pipe. Comparison of the elastic solutions and field soil pressure cell readings reveals the importance of incorporating a bending stiffness parameter. With this finding, the AASHTO method for calculating the load on buried pipe is evaluated against the elastic solutions. The analysis reveals that the AASHTO method is conservative, overestimating the load on thermoplastic pipe by up to 30%. Further evidence to support the finding is found within the strain gauge readings taken on the pipe walls in the field. Therefore, alternative equations derived directly from the elastic solutions are recommended to predict the load on buried thermoplastic pipe instead of the AASHTO method.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/1849-13
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=SOIL+ARCHING+OVER+DEEPLY+BURIED+THERMOPLASTIC+PIPE+(WITH+DISCUSSION+AND+CLOSURE)&author=S.+Sargand&author=T.+Masada&publication_year=2003
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Public/Blurbs/153508.aspx
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1849, Soil Mechanics 2003.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Sargand, S M
  • Masada, T
• Discussers:
  • Beakley, J
  • Moore, I D
  • McGrath, T J
• Publication Date: 2003

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 109-123
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1849
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Arching (Soils); Bending; Calculation; Equations; Loads; Pipe; Soil structure interaction; Stiffness; Thermoplastic materials
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Pipelines; I42: Soil Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00965612
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309085845
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Nov 20 2003 12:00AM