Evaluation of effective parameters in lateral buckling of subsea pipelines on a rigid seabed

Abstract

This study investigates the lateral buckling of pipelines on a rigid seabed under temperature and internal pressure, regardless of the effects of waves and currents. The analytical results in some cases are compared with the numerical results obtained from ABAQUS software. Then, the inuence of effective parameters (such as internal pressure, friction, initial imperfection, diameter and thickness of the pipe, and the pipe material) on the lateral buckling of pipelines on a rigid seabed is evaluated in order to determine the level of importance. The most important results indicate a reduced possibility of lateral buckling with an increased coefficient of friction between the pipe and seabed, reduction of the internal pressure, and reduction of the amplitude of the initial imperfection in the pipeline. For example, compared to the models with coefficients of friction equal to 0.5 and 0.3, safety temperatures in the model with a coefficient of friction equal to 0.7 have increased by 13.6% and 50%. Compared to the models with initial imperfections equal to 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 m, safety temperatures in the model with an initial imperfection of 0.1 m have increased by 4.49%, 15.32%, and 40.65%.