Buried Pipe Between Soil Layers

[ZDawg]

Hello all,

I have run into this problem before, but recently I got a unique case. When burying a pipe that happens to lay between 2 layers of varying soil properties, what is the proper approach to selecting the soil properties to input in CAESAR? In the past I've used the properties of the soil immediately around the pipe, but the case right now is the soil properties change, according to Geotech Reports, right at the center line of the pipe. The soil changes from silty sand with low density to claystone with high density and a high undrained shear strength. Should I be taking an average of the two, using the lower soil properties, or work somewhere in between?

 

[richay]

There is no answer to this question, you're way past any of the theories. I'd suggest making two models. Assume one is based on the silty sand and the other the claystone. Use the worst results, and explain what you did.

Richard Ay
Intergraph CAS