Abstract:
The development of transmitted stresses onto a pipe from the backfill or in-situ soil is not well
known for both static and dynamic load cases. This study was aimed at investigating the application
of an inverse modelling technique to determine the material parameters of a thin interface layer
which lies between the soil and buried pipe during a seismic event to assess the stress transfer. The
model uses measured strain values on a pipe of an axial push test. The process of estimation is
mathematically known as an inverse problem and is formulated as a non-linear least squares
minimization problem coupled with a finite element model for the soil-pipe interaction. The method
involves constructing an iterative procedure using an optimization routine in MATLAB and at every
iteration, the finite element problem was solved using the finite element program ABAQUS. Finally,
the accuracy of the parameter values are examined by using the measured strain values at various
different loadings. This research helps to further the understanding of the soil-pipe load transfer
system under various loadings and interface layers in finite element analysis.
