Upper-bound yield envelopes for pipelines at shallow embedment in clay

The penetration resistance and the force required to cause lateral movement of pipelines at shallow embedment in soft sediments has received increasing attention in recent years, as deep-water oil and gas reserves are developed. In deep water, pipelines are generally laid untrenched on the seabed, but embed by a small amount owing to their own weight and the additional loads imposed during the laying process. Pipeline design requires the possibility of lateral buckling during temperature-induced expansion to be considered, and the soil restraint at different combinations of vertical load and pipeline embedment is critical for such design (Bruton et...