Buried pipelines are essential for the safe and efficient transportation of energy products such as oil, gas, and various chemical fluids. However, these pipelines are highly vulnerable to ground movements caused by geohazards such as seismic faults, landslide, liquefaction-induced lateral spreading, and soil creep, which can result in potential pipeline failures such as leaks or explosions. Response prediction of buried pipelines under such movements is critical for ensuring structural integrity, mitigating environmental risks, and avoiding costly disruptions. As such, this study adopts a Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) approach, integrated with a transfer learning technique, to predict structural response (e.g., strain) of both unreinforced and reinforced steel pipes subjected to Permanent Ground Displacement (PGD). The PINN method offers a meshless, simulation-free alternative to traditional numerical methods such as Finite Element Method (FEM) and Finite Difference Method (FDM), while eliminating the need for training data, unlike conventional machine learning approaches. The analyses can provide useful information for in-service pipe integrity assessment and reinforcement, if needed. The accuracy of the predicted results is verified against Finite Element (FE) and Finite Difference (FD) methods, showcasing the capability of PINNs in accurately predicting displacement and strain fields in pipelines under geohazard-induced ground movement.

Soil displacement along Balboa Boulevard during the 1994 Northridge earthquake ruptured natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines as well as two pressurized water trunk lines. Four other buried pipelines in the ground displacement zone were not damaged. This study probabilistically assesses the performance of the buried pipelines in the framework of performance-based earthquake engineering. The main aspects of pipeline performance follow from the geotechnical characteristics of the site. Uncertainty in each of the key soil-pipeline system parameters is estimated, including length of the seismic ground displacement zone, amount of seismic ground displacement, soil-pipeline interface shear stress, pipe steel yield strength and Young's modulus, and shapes of the pipe steel stress-strain curves. Monte Carlo simulations are performed with an analytical model to assess the pipe strain response. New fragility functions are proposed to evaluate pipeline performance in response to tensile or compressive longitudinal strain. The resulting probabilities of failure are compared with the results of a conventional analysis in which the modeled pipeline strains are evaluated with respect to the critical strains that cause either tensile or compressive failure. The failure probabilities compare well with the pipeline performance observed during the Northridge earthquake, except for one natural gas transmission line. A sensitivity analysis is performed for this line to investigate the reasons for the discrepancy. Advantages and limitations of probabilistic analyses are discussed.

The pipe jacking method has been increasingly applied to a variety of tunnel projects. Investigating the ground disturbance characteristics during pipe jacking is of great significance to ensure accurate safety assessment and timely ground deformation control. This paper developed a three-dimensional model to simulate the entire pipe jacking process of a shallow-buried cross passage tunnel in soft strata. A key contribution of this research is the development of an element shear failure approach, combining element failure method with shear failure modeling. Meanwhile, the dynamic cutter excavation effect and the soil shear failure were considered in the numerical modeling. Through the comparison with the field monitoring results and traditional numerical simulation approach, the effectiveness, reliability, and superiority of the proposed approach were well demonstrated. Moreover, based on the numerical results, the ground deformation characteristics along with the stress-strain state of the cutter head during the soil excavating process were thoroughly analyzed. The proposed approach and its application in the ground disturbance analysis will offer useful references and guidance for numerical studies in similar pipe jacking projects in near future.

A major full-scale experiment called the Tunnelling and Limitation of Impacts on Piles (TULIP) project was conducted in 2020 on Line 16 of the Grand Paris Express project to analyze the tunnel boring machine-soil-pile interactions during tunnel excavation near deep structures. This paper presents the greenfield ground response observed when the tunnel boring machine (TBM) crossed the TULIP site: surface displacements, subsurface displacements, and pore water pressures are presented. The originality of the paper lies in the fact that details are provided not only on the site geological and geotechnical characteristics, but also on the TBM operation: a detailed analysis of the variations in pressure inside the cutting chamber of the earth-pressure balanced machine (EPBM) is proposed. This paper reports factual data without bias induced by a preconceived numerical model, but highlights open questions that challenge the advanced numerical models, that will be required to analyze completely the tunnel-soil-pile interactions.

Underground displacement monitoring is a crucial means of preventing geological disasters. Compared to existing one-dimensional methods (measuring only horizontal or vertical displacement), the underground displacement three-dimensional measurement method and monitoring system proposed by the author's research team can more accurately reflect the internal movement of rock and soil mass, thereby improving the timeliness and accuracy of geological disaster prediction. To ensure the reliability and long-term operation of the underground displacement three-dimensional monitoring system, this article further introduces low-power design theory and Bluetooth wireless transmission technology into the system. By optimizing the power consumption of each sensing unit, the current during the sleep period of a single sensing unit is reduced to only 0.09 mA. Dynamic power management technology is employed to minimize power consumption during each detection cycle. By using Bluetooth wireless transmission technology, the original wired communication of the system is upgraded to a relay-type wireless network communication, effectively solving the problem of the entire sensing array's operation being affected when a single sensing unit is damaged. These optimized designs not only maintain monitoring accuracy (horizontal and vertical displacement errors not exceeding 1 mm) but also enable the monitoring system to operate stably for an extended period under harsh weather conditions.

Ground displacement is considered the major natural hazard in causing damage to pipelines. Although the most effective method to reduce pipeline damage is routing the pipelines away from the ground movement potential areas, the pipelines in Taiwan unavoidably pass through faults, soil liquefaction potential areas, and sensitive areas of landslides, given that thirty-six active faults are crossing the island. Currently, available researches show that quasi-static testing is utilized to study the pipeline behavior under fault displacement. This paper presents laboratory testing design and results of buried pipelines subjected to ground displacement due to seismic motion. Pipelines are buried in a uniaxial shear box which is designed to introduce fault displacement caused by seismic motion. Different pipeline diameters are tested for comparison to study the diameter effect of pipelines. Protection measures such as different backfill materials and various burial depths are also tested to possibly offer suggestions on pipeline damage mitigation methods. The dynamic behavior of the pipelines is presented by the measurements collected by the strain gauges and accelerometers located on the pipelines. This study provides valuable information on the dynamic behavior of buried pipelines subjected to ground displacement due to seismic motion, which can enhance the design of the pipeline systems for seismic damage mitigation.