Mechanical Response of Gasketed Bell-and-Spigot Joint of Concrete Pipeline under Multifield Coupling

Concrete pipe may suffer joint failure under the coupling effect of internal fluid and overlying load, which may lead to pipe leakage. Based on Abaqus and Fluent finite element software, a three-dimensional refined model of drainage pipeline with gasketed bell-and-spigot joints and flow field model inside the pipeline was established. Fully considering the compression of the gasket during pipeline assembly and pipe-soil interaction, the fluid-structure coupling numerical simulation was carried out by using the MpCCI (Mesh-based parallel Code Coupling Interface) platform, and the mechanical response of the concrete pipe joint under the multifield loads coupling effects of burial condition, traffic load, and internal fluid was studied. The accuracy of the coupling model was verified through the full-scale tests that have been carried out. The influences of various factors on the circumferential stress and vertical deformation of the joint were mainly studied. The result reveals that the influence of different working conditions on the circumferential stress of the pipe joint is mainly concentrated on the crown and the invert of the joint, the areas vulnerable to tensile damage. The change of flow field leads to a slight difference in the vertical deformation of the joint, while variation in gasket hardness and cushion compactness has a certain influence on the vertical deformation of the joint. The change of buried depth has a negative correlation to the vertical deformation of the joint, and the change of load position has a significant nonlinear effect. The result provides a theoretical basis for further research on the mechanical mechanism of the pipeline joints during operation.

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