Based on the Winkler method, a pipe can be treated as a beam, and pipe-soil interactions can be represented by soil springs in the axial, horizontal and vertical directions. Pipe deflection and resultant forces are correlated by coefficient K in the equation F=Kδ, where F is the resultant force and δ is the pipe displacement. This paper studies pipe-soil interaction for pipelines buried in clay and sand subjected to displacements in oblique directions. The objective is to measure the effect of soil parameters on coefficient K as well as the maximum soil resistance. Pipe-soil behavior has been studied using the finite element software ABAQUS/CAE. There are 48 models in total with varying soil parameters, pipe burial depth and pipe-soil interaction friction for the investigation of the effect of each variable on pipe-soil behavior. In addition, the finite element results have been compared to the analytical results from American Lifelines Alliance guideline (ALA, 2001) and proposed failure envelopes in previous studies.

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The design and construction planning of pipelines is a multidisciplinary effort that requires support and input from geotechnical, geomatics and pipeline construction specialists. The cooperation between those disciplines is more pronounced and required when the pipeline traverses rugged mountainous areas with challenging settings. This paper begins by considering the range of topographic, geological, construction and other route datasets and how they are generated. A presentation of an application that has been developed and utilizes progressively improving route datasets as projects advance to generate Right-of-Way (ROW) footprint and detailed construction quantities such as granular excavation volumes, supply and demand quantities and cross-section details is introduced. An overview of construction details including construction direction, seasonality, and ROW profile is then offered. In addition, several analytical methods are available for deployment, each being suited for various stages of a project’s development. These analytical methods include advanced workbooks and GIS Enabled Applications that leverages DTM information as well as commercially available packages. A discussion of these methods is presented together with suggested guidelines as to when to apply them in a proposed project’s phase. Finally, lessons learnt from the experiences gained in several major projects are summarized.