Applicability of analytical calculation methods on the pipeline strain under the effect of strike-slip fault

A pipeline is prone to large displacement due to the movement of faults, and consequently the pipeline fails under the effect of large strain. In order to perform the design and safety assessment of long-distance fault crossing pipeline successfully, it is of great significance to research the calculation methods on the pipeline strain under the effect of faulting. The theoretically analytical calculation methods are widely used in the preliminary design of long-distance pipelines owing to its advantages of simple calculation procedure and high efficiency. In this paper, three theoretically analytical calculation methods (e.g. Newmark-Hall, Kennedy and Karamitros) which are widely used for pipeline strain calculation were briefly introduced. Then, their calculation results were compared with those of finite element method. Finally, the applicability of these three methods in the environment of strike-slip faults was discussed from four aspects, i.e., the crossing angle of pipeline, the buried depth of pipeline, the soil type and the pipe steel type. It is indicated that both Newmark-Hall and Kennedy methods are suitable for the cases whose pipeline crossing angle (β) is smaller than 45° and fault displacement is larger. The Karamitros method is better applicable in all conditions. Especially in the cases with larger crossing angle (β≥45°), the Newmark-Hall and Kennedy methods are less applicable, so it is necessary to select the Karamitros method whose model is more complex.