Numerical analysis of an experimental pipe buried in swelling soil

This paper investigates the pipe-soil interaction for pipes buried in expansive soil when subjected to swelling soil movement due to increase in moisture content. A laboratory experiment has been undertaken on a plastic pipe in a large-scale pipe box. A three dimensional numerical model is developed to analyse the pipe response, using FLAC(3D) computer program. The pipe is assumed to behave as a linearly elastic material, while the soil is modelled as a nonlinear material with Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. The water flow and soil/pipe deformations are decoupled, where water flow is calculated using simplified capillary rise theory on the basis of measurements made. A reasonably good agreement between the experimental results and model predictions is reported