Improvement of mechanical behavior of buried pipelines subjected to strike-slip faulting using textured pipeline

The present study investigates the mechanical behavior of a new generation of buried pipelines, dubbed the textured pipeline, which is subjected to strike-slip faulting. In conventional cylindrical pipelines, the axial and bending stresses brought about in their walls as a result of fault movement, lead to local buckling, which is construed as one of the major reasons contributing to pipeline failure. The present study has assessed 3-D numerical models of two kinds of buried textured pipelines, with 6 and 12 peripheral triangular facets, subjected to a strike-slip faulting normal to the axis of the pipelines, with and without internal pressure, with the two kinds of X65 and X80 steel, and with different diameter-to-thickness ratios. The results indicate that, because of specific geometry of this pipeline shell which is characterized by having lower axial stiffness and higher bending stiffness, compared to conventional cylindrical pipeline, they are considerably resistant to local buckling. The results of this study can be conceived of as a first step toward comprehensive seismic studies on this generation of pipelines which aim at replacing the conventional cylindrical pipelines with textured ones in areas subjected to fault movement.