Micromechanical analysis of lateral pipe-soil interaction instability on sloping sandy seabeds

Abstract

The micromechanical mechanism of pipe instability under lateral force actions on sloping sandy seabeds is unclear. This study investigated the effects of slope angle and instability direction (upslope or downslope) on pipe–soil interaction instability for freely laid and anti-rolling pipes using coupled discrete element method and finite element method (DEM–FEM) simulations. The numerical results were analyzed at both macro- and microscales and compared with the experimental results. The findings revealed that the ultimate drag force on anti-rolling pipes increased with slope angle and was significantly larger than that on freely laid pipes for both downslope and upslope instabilities. Additionally, the rotation-induced upward traction force was proved to be the essential reason for the smaller soil deformation around freely laid pipes. Moreover, the shape differences in the motion trajectories of pipes were successfully explained by variations in the soil supporting force distributions under different slope conditions. Additionally, synchronous movement between the pipe and adjacent particles was identified as the underlying mechanism for the reduced particle collision and shear wear on pipe surfaces under a high interface coefficient. Furthermore, an investigation of particle-scale behaviors revealed conclusive mechanistic patterns of pipe–soil interaction instability under different slope conditions. This study could be useful for the design of pipelines in marine pipeline engineering.