Numerical Analysis of Dynamic Response of Lifelines Facilities Adjacent to Deep Excavations

The great potential of economic benefits of utilizing underground spaces in the urban areas around the world has made the use of underground infrastructures popular. This makes the researchers to perform comprehensive studies of the effects of deep excavations on nearby properties. The protection of adjacent and underground facilities and lifelines during an earthquake is one of the major challenges in design and construction of ground excavations and foundation engineering. Excavation-induced ground movements could be greatly intensified during an earthquake. Large ground deformations may result in cracks or sever damage in adjacent lifelines. Therefore, to reduce the risk of lifeline failures, the seismic response of lifelines adjacent to deep excavations should be completely studied. In the present study, the dynamic performance of a buried pipeline close to a deep excavation is investigated using ABAQUS software. A series of three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analyses are conducted and the normalized tensile strain are plotted to analyze dynamic response of the buried pipe.