Prediction of Earthquake Damage to Buried Lifeline across Fault Rupture and Its Countermeasures

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The study deals with large ground displacements induced by fault movements and its effects on pipe damage near surface fault rupture. A vertical ground displacement induced by fault movement appeared at a surface ground extensively in the 1999 Chi-Chi Earthquake in Taiwan. Its stretch was about 80km and the maximum vertical ground displacement was about 10m. Buried pipelines across the scarp suffered severe damage in the vicinity. According to our field survey, the affected area was limited in the hard surface ground condition although the vertical displacement was great. On the contrary, the vertical displacement was small but the affected area was relatively large in the soft ground condition.The experiments using a shear soil box and table lift were conducted concerning with the affected area and its effects on pipe behavior. A PVC pipe was used in the experiments. The test results showed that great bending stress was occurred at the pipe buried in hanging-wall side under hard surface ground condition. The pipe buried in footwall side indicated the possibility of pull out damage. On the contrary, the bending stress of a buried pipe was dispersed under soft surface ground condition.A preliminary analysis using the DEM was conducted to verify the test results. The results of analysis showed good agreement with our test results qualitatively, however, a quantitative study was necessary in the future.