Liquefaction Hazards and Their Effects on Buried Pipelines

Keywords: Liquefaction, Buried Pipelines, Lifelines, Ground Displacement, Soil Properties, Lateral Spreading, Computer Codes, UNIPIP, Soil Pipeline Interaction, San Francisco, CA Earthquake, 1906, San Fernando, CA Earthquake, 1971, Alaska Earthquake, 1964, and Nihonkai-Chubu, Japan Earthquake, 1983.

Abstract: The research described in this work involves the evaluation of liquefaction-induced ground movements and their effects on buried pipelines. The work is divided into three components: review of liquefaction phenomena and associated ground displacements; characterization of liquefaction phenomena and associated ground displacements; characterization of liquefaction-induced lateral spreading through observations and measurements of lateral spread deformations during past earthquakes; parametric study to evaluate buried pipeline response as a function of soil properties and geometric characteristics of lateral spreads. Case studies of four earthquakes were reviewed in which occurrences of lateral spreading have been reported. The results of the case studies indicate a close relationship between geologic and morphologic conditions and the occurrence and pattern of lateral spreading. The parametric study demonstrates the strong influence of geometric characteristics of the soil displacements on buried pipeline response. The delineation of zones of potentially large ground movement and the estimation of displacement patterns can be useful in the design of future pipeline systems, and the modification of existing ones, to limit earthquake damage.