Analytical Method for the Buried Pipeline on an Elastic Foundation with Local Ground Subsidence

This study addresses the issue of localized ground subsidence and its effect on buried pipelines. Timoshenko beam model, placed on a Pasternak foundation, is used to analyze the internal force response of buried pipelines under foundation subsidence. The load on the pipeline, resulting from localized ground subsidence, is assumed to be symmetric. The load distribution on the buried section of the pipeline is represented using a McLaurin series. Analytical solutions for the deflection and bending moment of the pipeline under arbitrary symmetrical loading are derived based on the theory of elastic foundation beams. Additionally, the accuracy of the analytical solutions is verified through comparisons with experimental studies, finite element analysis, and existing theories. In the analysis, the shear modulus of the Timoshenko beam is set to infinity, resulting in the degeneration of the model into the Euler-Bernoulli beam. The effect of the shear modulus and diameter-span ratio (D/l) of the Timoshenko beam is investigated in the parameter analysis, and the applicability for both beam models is determined. The results indicate that, for buried pipelines with a diameter-span ratio greater than 0.1, the Timoshenko beam model provides more accurate deflection calculations than the Euler-Bernoulli beam model.