Indian Geotechnical Conference 2010, GEOtrendz

December 1618, 2010

IGS Mumbai Chapter & IIT Bombay

Design Hints for Buried Pipes to Resist Effects of Blast

Olarewaju, A. J.

Rao, N. S. V. Kameswara

Mannan, M. A.

Graduate Student
e-mail: akinolajolarewaju@yahoo.com

Professor
e-mail: nsv@ums.edu.my

Associate Professor
e-mail: mannan@ums.edu.my

Civil Engineering Program, SKTM, University Malaysia Sabah, 88999 Kota-Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

ABSTRACT
Due to complexity in the formulation and solution of basic equations of motion for structures of complicated
shapes subjected to transient pulse, response of underground structures due to blast loads could be effectively
studied through modeling using Abaqus numerical code. Consequently, in the analysis and design of underground
structures specifically pipes to resist the effect of blasts, geotechnical and material properties are required. These
properties as revealed by several, researchers, investigators and pipe manufacturers are used in this study. Using
Unified Facilities Criteria (2008) for surface blast, internal explosion and empirical method for underground
blast for commonly used explosives at various stand-off points, acceleration, seismic velocities, arrival time, etc
for soils were determined. Correlation of blast and earthquake high-lighted and possible methods of burial of
pipes also presented.
1. INTRODUCTION
Buried pipes are used for services like water supply,
drainage, sewerage, oil and gas supply, etc. Due to huge
investment in the construction of these structures, there is
need to study their responses due to blast and natural
earthquakes most especially where it is laid across the road
or directly underneath multistory buildings. Blast can create
sufficient tremors to damage sub-structures over a large
area. This lead to loss of lives and property, in the industries,
it causes disruption in production, collapse of buildings,
etc (Olarewaju et al. 2010 & Olarewaju 2008).
2. METHODOLOGY
Response of underground pipes due to internal explosion,
underground and open trench blasts was studied using finite
element based numerical code, Abaqus. Using UFC (2008),
blast energies in different sizes of pipes and ground
movement parameters for surface blast were estimated while
using empirical method for underground blast; ground
movement parameters were estimated. Response of modeled
steel and concrete pipes buried in loose sand, dense sand
and undrained clay at different dept were examined. A total
of 15 models were analyzed for the internal explosion while
150 models were analyzed for underground and open trench
blasts respectively. Time integration technique of finite
difference and finite element in Abaqus numerical code
was used to solve Eq. 1 (Abaqus Users Manual 2009,
Ganesan 2000 & Kameswara 1998). Classes of blast

applicable to buried pipes are underground, open trench,

internal explosion and surface blasts (Olarewaju et al.
2010).
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results are graphically presented below.

Fig. 1: Ground Movement Parameters in Underground Blast

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A.J. Olarewaju, N.S.V. Kameswara Rao and M.A. Mannan

Fig. 4: Displacement in Buried Concrete and Steel Pipes Due

to Underground and Open Channel Blasts

Under the impact of surface static pressure, for elastic

linear response, for no slip condition using Abaqus
program, at H/D = 1, the crown displacement at H/D=1 is
1.307 times that of crown displacement at H/D=2. The
maximum horizontal spring-line response in terms of
pressure, displacement, maximum principal strain and
mises for H/D=1 is 1.2385 times that of maximum
horizontal spring-line response for H/D=2 (Olarewaju et
al. 2010). This agrees with the conclusions of Roanaki
(1997) using SAP program.

Fig. 2: Ground Movement Parameters in Surface Blast

Fig. 3: Time History of Energy Generated by 50kg TNT

Internal Explosion for; (a) Steel Pipes, and (b) Concrete Pipes
All Buried in Different Soil Layers

Fig. 5: Pressure in Buried Steel and Concrete Pipes Due to

Underground and Open Channel Blasts

Design Hints for Buried Pipes to Resist Effects of Blast

Fig. 6: Stress in Buried Steel and Concrete Pipes Due to

Underground and Open Channel Blasts

Fig. 7 Strain in Buried Steel and Concrete Pipes Due to

Underground and Open Channel Blast

In the case of internal explosion, as the thickness of

883
steel and concrete pipes reduces, time history generated as
a result of internal explosion increases in the same
proportion while as the diameter of pipes increases, blast
parameters (i.e. side-on overpressure, peak reflected
pressure, etc) reduces. In addition, depth of burial of pipes
showed no significant changes in the time history of
energies generated due to internal explosion (Fig. 3), while
stress components on the ground surface reduced as the
embedded ratio of pipes increases (Olarewaju et al. 2010).
Furthermore, pressure changes from negative to positive
within the soil medium due to dilations and compressions
caused by transient stress pulse of compression wave while
velocity, displacement and stresses reduces as it approaches
the ground surface. The reduction is more in loose sand
due to arching effect. In order for earth arching to occur,
the pipe must be: above the water table, cannot be laid in
water saturated soil, buried in granular soil, or, the site
must be backfilled with granular soil, the depth of earth
covering above the pipe must be substantial, at least onehalf of the minimum span of the pipe, and be flexible
enough to yield under applied load. Consequently, for a
period of 0.025s the velocity on the soil surface is higher
than that produced by San Fernando earthquake of 1971
which got to the peak at 13s. In underground blast, the
ratio of peak particle displacement for all soils to that of
saturated clay is 0.135. In addition, ground movement
parameters (Fig. 1) obtained for the stand-off distances of
up to 100m indicates that the zone of influence of
underground blast is relatively small compared to that of
surface blast (Fig. 2). Consequently, energy impulse as it
travels from internal explosion in buried pipes as well as
underground and open trench blasts decreases by three
dimensional dispersion of blast energy and due to energy
dissipation (Olarewaju et al. 2010). Displacement in pipes
due to underground blast is the same irrespective of the
burial depth and material properties but higher compared
to that obtained in trench blast. This is because, as the peak
particle velocity travels within the soil medium, it transmits
the load bodily to the buried pipes along the direction of
travel. Unlike open trench blast, the wave energies only
impeaches on the side of the open trench. Reduction in all
the parameters in underground blast is noticeable at pipe
embedded ratios of 3 and 4. Conversely, in open trench
blast, virtually all the parametersdisplacement, pressure,
etc reduces at embedded ratios of 3 beyond which no
significant changes occurred (Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7).
4. CONCLUSIONS
This paper has highlighted the categories of blast applicable
to buried pipes. Essential ground movement parameters
for internal explosion, underground and open trench blasts
were estimated for various stand-off distances. Time

884
histories for internal explosion were obtained while
responses of buried pipes due to underground and open
trench blasts were obtained at different embedded ratios.
Numerical methods in Abaqus code were used in solving
dynamic equation of motion. Other software packages like
ANSYS, FLAC 2000, etc could suitably be used to study
linear and non-linear response of underground structures
due to dynamic loads (Olarewaju et al. 2010).
5. EQUATIONS
The governing dynamic equation of motion is
[m] [] + [c] [] + [k] [U] = [P]; for U (t = 0) = Uo, and
(t = 0) = o = vo
(1)
where m, c, and k are element mass, damping and stiffness
matrices, t is the time, U and P are displacement and load
vectors and dots indicate their time derivatives.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The project is funded by Ministry of Science, Technology
and Innovation, MOSTI, Malaysia under e-Science Grant
no. 03- 01-10-SF0042.
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