Nonlinear stochastic seismic analysis of buried pipeline systems

•Establishing a model to analyze the whole buried pipe systems.•Giving probability density functions of seismic responses of buried pipe systems.

In this paper, a nonlinear stochastic seismic analysis program for buried pipeline systems is developed on the basis of a probability density evolution method (PDEM). A finite element model of buried pipeline systems subjected to seismic wave propagation is established. The pipelines in this model are simulated by 2D beam elements. The soil surrounding the pipelines is simulated by nonlinear distributed springs and linear distributed springs along the axial and horizontal directions, respectively. The joints between the segmented pipes are simulated by nonlinear concentrated springs. Thereafter, by considering the basic random variables of ground motion and soil, the PDEM is employed to capture the stochastic seismic responses of pipeline systems. Meanwhile, a physically based method is employed to simulate the random ground motion field for the area where the pipeline systems are located. Finally, a numerical example is investigated to validate the proposed program.