One-g shaking-table experiments on buried pipelines crossing a strike-slip fault

Buried pipelines provide essential services to the urban population, and as a result of their geographical dispersion they remain particularly vulnerable to damage caused by natural disasters. Among many damage mechanisms, the present study addresses those induced by seismic fault action and its related ground distortion. A better understanding of the factors influencing the forces acting on buried pipelines due to imposed ground displacements will permit more appropriate design of pipelines in the future, and contribute towards reducing damage incurred by the buried pipes. To this end, 1g shaking-table experiments were performed on buried model pipelines installed in Toyoura sand, which were instrumented to monitor strain. The system was subjected to four different levels of dynamic excitation and right-lateral strike-slip faulting. The experiments indicate that simultaneous shaking and faulting, which is a more realistic condition than tests performed without shaking, reduce the measured pipe strains. Tests also indicated that there is a linear decrease in the maximum strains experienced by the buried pipe as the sine of the pipe-fault crossing angle decreases, and that there is a non-linear relationship between the relative density and the strains experienced by the buried pipe.