Analysis of Factors Affecting Underground High-Pressure Gas Pipelines under Heavy Vehicle Loads

As the demand for fossil fuel energy grows in China, the construction of gas pipelines has expanded significantly. These pipelines often intersect with roadways, posing critical safety risks because of potential structural failures. This study focuses on the interaction zone between high-pressure gas transmission pipelines and roads, investigating the mechanical response of pipelines under heavy vehicle loading conditions. Using Abaqus software, a pipeline-road interaction model was developed to analyze the influence of vehicle speed, load magnitude, pipe wall thickness, burial depth, and laying angles on pipeline stress distribution. The findings reveal that: heavier vehicle loads increase peak stress and vertical displacement in pipelines; higher vehicle speeds reduce these mechanical responses; pipelines installed perpendicularly (90°) to roadways exhibit minimal stress; greater burial depth reduces stress and displacement, although this effect plateaus beyond a critical depth; and thinner pipe walls amplify stress and displacement, with wall thickness being the most influential factor.