The three-dimensional response of buried steel pipes under vehicle loads is investigated using the finite element analysis. The analysis is conducted using the finite element program ABAQUS. The effects of the vehicle parameters, pipeline parameters and soil parameters on the response of the buried pipeline were discussed. The results indicate that the maximum principal stresses in a buried pipe under vehicle loads are significant for burial depths of less than 1 m. The maximum principal stresses of the buried pipeline decrease as the burial depth, vehicle velocity and surrounding soil’s elasticity modulus increase. For small burial depths, the stresses in buried pipes caused by vehicle motion in the direction normal to the pipe axis are more critical. However, the effects of motion direction are insignificant when the burial depth and the surrounding soil’s elasticity modulus increase. As the diameter of a buried pipe decreases, the maximum principal stresses increase.
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