Pipeline flotation in liquefied sand: A simplified transient model

Submarine buried pipelines are often laid in trenches backfilled with loose sandy soil, which is intrinsically prone to liquefaction. When liquefaction triggered, the soil tends behave as a viscous fluid vanishing shear strength and very limited ability restrain structural displacement, for instance during occurrence of pipeline flotation. Recently, 2D CFD-based approach analysis pipe flotation liquefied sand has been proposed by Pisano et al. (2020), reconsolidation effects phenomenologically captured considering rheological parameters that evolve space time pore water pressures dissipate. Despite remarkable agreement experimental data from literature, complexity computational costs such may still hinder its applicability engineering practice. To overcome this limitation, simplified model herein, all forces governing motion expressed via simple analytical relationships. After thorough validation against CFD results relevant data, it concluded new largely retains predictive capability al.’s framework combination negligible costs.