Design of steel pipe-jacking based on buckling analysis by finite strip method

In practice, the steel pipe-jacking can be regarded as a thin-walled cylindrical shell mainly subjected to jacking force in the axial direction and surrounded by the soil which is usually simplified and modeled as an elastic foundation. In this paper, the elastic buckling behavior of steel jacking pipes primarily under axial compression and with the Pasternak foundation is analyzed by the finite strip method (FSM). The elastic foundation is considered in the stiffness matrix through the strain energy, and the deformation in the longitudinal direction is simulated by the series functions in FSM. A parametric study is conducted to analyze buckling of cylindrical shells embedded in different elastic foundations. It indicates that the Pasternak foundation is more conducive to prevent buckling of cylindrical shells under axial compression. The critical length and the lower bound of buckling loads are obtained, and they offer the basis for optimal design of steel pipe-jacking. Finally, the case study combined with the buckling accident in the steel pipe-jacking event is presented. The present buckling analysis of soil-embedded cylindrical shells under axial compression provides design guidance for steel pipe-jacking construction.