Abstract
Earth pressure on underground pipes is studied by an analysis of two-dimensional elastic model. The analysis shows that earth pressure on underground pipes is affected considerably by the boundary condition between pipe and soil, the lateral boundary condition of the infinite ground and the ratio between elastic modulus of the soil and flexural stiffniss of the pipe. The analytical results are supported by the earth pressure measured for centrifuged underground pipe models. Marston-Spangler theory and ring compression theory, both of which stand on some unjustifiable assumptions, are found to give results of poor coincidence with the behavior of both analytical and centrifuged models. A new index x is proposed to define the flexibility of the pipe in the ground.
