Tests with Water Pressure and Nonlinear Pushover Analysis under Faulting for Water Pipeline

Tests with Water Pressure and Nonlinear Pushover Analysis under Faulting for Water Pipeline

This study has conducted seismic testing of ductile iron pipes with K-type joints, which are a commonly used type of water pipeline in Taiwan. Full and pressurized pipe specimens are tested separately under tension, compression, and bending loads. The capacity of deformation and the failure mechanism of the pipe specimens are investigated experimentally. Before performing a nonlinear pushover analysis of the pipelines, nonlinear plastic hinges for K-type joints are set. In this study, the axial and moment plastic hinges of the pipe with K-type joints are determined by the results of the tests and analyses. According to the results of the nonlinear pushover analysis, the allowable fault displacement and failure modes of pipes under a strikeslip fault are investigated. If the failure mode is a tension failure of the joint, then the allowable fault displacement tends to decrease when compared to a continuous pipeline without joints.