Centrifuge modeling of large-diameter underground pipes subjected to heavy traffic loads

Large-diameter pipes, as well as heavy vehicles, have become increasingly prevalent, which imposes uncertainties on pipe design. This paper describes the procedure and results of a series of geotechnical centrifuge tests performed on a large 1400 mm diameter reinforced concrete pipe subjected to heavy traffic loading up to 850 kN. The influence of soil cover depth, as well as the positions and magnitude of traffic loads, on the bending moments of the pipe were investigated. The centrifuge test results were found to be in reasonable agreement with those from full-scale tests. The pipe would experience the most unfavorable conditions when the heaviest axle of the traffic vehicle was located directly above the pipe crown. A deeper soil cover would lead to higher initial stresses in the pipe, as well as reduced influence of traffic load. However, even for a soil cover depth of 4 m, there is significant bending moment induced by the heavy truck loading, which cannot be ignored during pipeline design. A comparison was made between the centrifuge test results and several widely adopted design methods, and unconservative calculation results were noticed for large-diameter rigid pipes lying at a shallow soil cover depth subjected to heavy traffic loading.