Investigation on Ground Collapse Due to Exfiltration of Shallowly Buried Water-Supply Pipeline
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Laboratory Model Test
2.1. Similarity Law
2.2. Model Setup
2.3. Test Materials and Parameters
3. Analyses on Test Results
3.1. Influence of Water Pressure
3.2. Influence of Pipe Diameter
4. Numerical Simulation
4.1. Model Setup
4.2. Influence of Water Pressure
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- Both the laboratory model tests and numerical simulation show that the erosion zone can be divided into two zones, the exfiltration zone and the seepage diffusion zone. Within the exfiltration zone, an entrainment phenomenon occurred in the lateral section, while a vortex-induced soil–water mixture formed in the middle section due to resistance from the soil weight. Soil erosion was rapid in the exfiltration zone, resulting in a significant increase in local porosity. In some cases, local porosity in exfiltration zone could reach 1.0, meaning there were no soil particles remaining in those regions.
- (2)
- Under high inlet pressure (pc = 0.18 MPa), pressurized water flow from the fracture strongly inhibited lateral seepage diffusion of water, resulting in a height difference of 16.4 mm between the exfiltration zone and seepage diffusion zone. Under low inlet pressure (pc = 0.10 MPa), there was an extended seepage diffusion zone, and the height difference between the exfiltration zone and seepage diffusion zone increased to 38.6 mm. This phenomenon was related to the balance between hydraulic gradient and critical shear stress of soil.
- (3)
- The inlet pressure had an effect on the ground collapse process; when the inlet pressure of the laboratory test model increased from 0.10 MPa to 0.18 MPa, the ground collapse duration time of the fractured prototype pipe was reduced by 22–28% (from 125 s to 98 s, and the initial exfiltration velocity increased from 5.2 mm/s to 9.4 mm/s. According to the laboratory test results, the erosion velocity was exponentially related to time. Reducing the pipe diameter was equivalent to increasing the water pressure. Under a small pipe diameter, there was a cavity between the exfiltration zone and the ground surface, which caused ground bulging. Under a large pipe diameter, the cavity diminished and ground subsidence occurred. The formation of the cavity was related to the erosion height and flow pressure of the erosion process.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Connecting Pipe | Half-Pipe Water-Supply System | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diameter Dc (12 mm) | Diameter D (63 mm) | Diameter D (50 mm) | Diameter D (40 mm) | ||||
Inlet Pressure pc (MPa) | Flow Velocity vc (m/s) | Flow Pressure p (MPa) | Flow Velocity v (m/s) | Flow Pressure p (MPa) | Flow Velocity v (m/s) | Flow Pressure p (MPa) | Flow Velocity v (m/s) |
0.10 | 1 | 2.122 × 10−3 | 0.09 | 7.166 × 10−3 | 0.14 | 1.872 × 10−2 | 0.22 |
0.14 | 2 | 8.320 × 10−3 | 0.18 | / | / | / | / |
0.18 | 3 | 2.412 × 10−2 | 0.27 | / | / | / | / |
Soil Type | d10 (mm) | d30 (mm) | d50 (mm) | d60 (mm) | Cu | Cc | γ (kN/m3) | c (kPa) | φ (°) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sand | 0.11 | 0.21 | 0.28 | 0.34 | 3.09 | 1.07 | 19.1 | 0 | 33.5 |
Test No. | Half-Pipe Diameter D (mm) | Overlaying Soil Thickness H (mm) | Flow Pressure in Connecting Pipe pc (MPa) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 63 | 220 | 0.10 |
2 | 220 | 0.14 | |
3 | 220 | 0.18 | |
4 | 50 | 220 | 0.10 |
5 | 40 | 220 | 0.10 |
Micro-Parameters | Soil Sample |
---|---|
PFC model objects | Ball |
Density (kg⋅m−3) | 2650 |
Effective modulus (Pa) | 1 × 106 |
Stiffness ratio | 1.214 |
Ball–ball friction coefficient | 0.65 |
Rotational friction coefficient | 0.1 |
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Bai, F.; Lu, Y.; Lu, X. Investigation on Ground Collapse Due to Exfiltration of Shallowly Buried Water-Supply Pipeline. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 10736. https://doi.org/10.3390/app151910736
Bai F, Lu Y, Lu X. Investigation on Ground Collapse Due to Exfiltration of Shallowly Buried Water-Supply Pipeline. Applied Sciences. 2025; 15(19):10736. https://doi.org/10.3390/app151910736
Chicago/Turabian StyleBai, Fenghao, Ye Lu, and Xiuying Lu. 2025. "Investigation on Ground Collapse Due to Exfiltration of Shallowly Buried Water-Supply Pipeline" Applied Sciences 15, no. 19: 10736. https://doi.org/10.3390/app151910736
APA StyleBai, F., Lu, Y., & Lu, X. (2025). Investigation on Ground Collapse Due to Exfiltration of Shallowly Buried Water-Supply Pipeline. Applied Sciences, 15(19), 10736. https://doi.org/10.3390/app151910736