Numerical Simulation of Assembly Process and Sealing Reliability of T-Rubber Gasket Pipe Joints

Underground pipelines are vital parts to urban water supply, gas and other lifeline systems, affecting the sustainable development of cities a great extent. The pipeline joint, which is weak link, may be seriously damaged during natural disasters such as earthquakes. failure pipe joints can cause leakage accidents, resulting in system interruption, even some secondary disasters. Herein, based on uniaxial plane tensile test results T-rubber gasket material, assembly process sealing performance joint ductile iron numerically simulated using Ogden third-order strain energy density function fit material constant. simulation accounts for severe nonlinearities, including large deformations, hyperelasticity, complex contacts. effects friction coefficient, depth, radial clearance deviation socket spigot seal contact pressure analyzed. suggest that entire history deformation stress variations clearly visualized accurately calculated. For different coefficients, depth corresponding sliding condition was 74 mm, while minimum pushing force required assemble DN300 6.8 kN at ideal situation with coefficient 0. effective rubber seepage surface under various operating conditions much higher than normal municipal pipelines, thus indicating exhibits performance. Furthermore, certain deviation, about 20 allowed axial displacement adapted an earthquake or ground displacement.