×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

At grade pipeline with liquefaction... design code?

At grade pipeline with liquefaction... design code?

At grade pipeline with liquefaction... design code?

(OP)
Hi All - hypothetical question:

Let's say we have a pipeline that carries a pressurized petroleum gas product for a distance near the shoreline, and the area is subject to liquefaction and lateral spreading.

Let's also say the pipeline is only full of product 5% to 10% of the time, empty the rest of the time.

If said pipeline were supported by pipe racks, the racks would be governed by ASCE 7, ch 15 (non-building structures). To satisfy structural requirements, the rack foundations would have to be supported by piles and there would have to be extensive (and expensive) ground improvements to prevent failure of the pipe rack foundations (which only support the pipe) due to lateral spreading.

Now what if we put the pipe on at-grade sleepers? The sleepers and anchorage would be designed for the seismic accelerations - but could we forego the ground improvements for lateral spreading if it can be rationalized that failure of the pipe itself will not create a public risk, because the pipeline would have seismic isolation valves and released product would be below risk thresholds?

I'm trying to find out if the pipe is on sleepers, are we no longer subject to the building code requirements of designing to mitigate lateral spreading? At what point can we call it a pipe and not a structure??

Any thoughts or discussion greatly appreciated!

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources