An experimental and numerical investigation of pullout behavior of ductile iron water pipes buried in sand

Buried pipelines, used for transporting liquid and gas, are often subjected to axial pulling forces due to seasonal temperature changes and (or) relative ground movements. The axial pullout force is exerted through soil–pipe interaction, which depends on the pipe material, surrounding soil and pipe–soil interface properties. In this research, axial pullout force on ductile iron pipe buried in sand is first experimentally investigated through...