CFD–DEM Analysis of Internal Soil Erosion Induced by Infiltration into Defective Buried Pipes
Internal soil erosion caused by water infiltration around defective buried pipes poses a significant threat to the long-term stability of underground infrastructures such as pipelines and highway culverts. This study employs a coupled computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) fr...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Jun Xu Fei Wang Bryce Vaughan |
| author_facet | Jun Xu Fei Wang Bryce Vaughan |
| author_sort | Jun Xu |
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| description | Internal soil erosion caused by water infiltration around defective buried pipes poses a significant threat to the long-term stability of underground infrastructures such as pipelines and highway culverts. This study employs a coupled computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) framework to simulate the detachment, transport, and redistribution of soil particles under varying infiltration pressures and pipe defect geometries. Using ANSYS Fluent (CFD) and Rocky (DEM), the simulation resolves both the fluid flow field and granular particle dynamics, capturing erosion cavity formation, void evolution, and soil particle transport in three dimensions. The results reveal that increased infiltration pressure and defect size in the buried pipe significantly accelerate the process of erosion and sinkhole formation, leading to potentially unstable subsurface conditions. Visualization of particle migration, sinkhole development, and soil velocity distributions provides insight into the mechanisms driving localized failure. The findings highlight the importance of considering fluid–particle interactions and defect characteristics in the design and maintenance of buried structures, offering a predictive basis for assessing erosion risk and infrastructure vulnerability. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4e2202b33c44485f9af37f7f78b787f92025-08-20T03:32:12ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632025-07-0115725310.3390/geosciences15070253CFD–DEM Analysis of Internal Soil Erosion Induced by Infiltration into Defective Buried PipesJun Xu0Fei Wang1Bryce Vaughan2Department of Mechanical, Environmental, and Civil Engineering, Mayfield College of Engineering, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76401, USARichard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USADepartment of Mechanical, Environmental, and Civil Engineering, Mayfield College of Engineering, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76401, USAInternal soil erosion caused by water infiltration around defective buried pipes poses a significant threat to the long-term stability of underground infrastructures such as pipelines and highway culverts. This study employs a coupled computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) framework to simulate the detachment, transport, and redistribution of soil particles under varying infiltration pressures and pipe defect geometries. Using ANSYS Fluent (CFD) and Rocky (DEM), the simulation resolves both the fluid flow field and granular particle dynamics, capturing erosion cavity formation, void evolution, and soil particle transport in three dimensions. The results reveal that increased infiltration pressure and defect size in the buried pipe significantly accelerate the process of erosion and sinkhole formation, leading to potentially unstable subsurface conditions. Visualization of particle migration, sinkhole development, and soil velocity distributions provides insight into the mechanisms driving localized failure. The findings highlight the importance of considering fluid–particle interactions and defect characteristics in the design and maintenance of buried structures, offering a predictive basis for assessing erosion risk and infrastructure vulnerability.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/7/253computational fluid dynamics (CFD)discrete element method (DEM)soil erosioninfiltrationdefective buried pipes |
| spellingShingle | Jun Xu Fei Wang Bryce Vaughan CFD–DEM Analysis of Internal Soil Erosion Induced by Infiltration into Defective Buried Pipes Geosciences computational fluid dynamics (CFD) discrete element method (DEM) soil erosion infiltration defective buried pipes |
| title | CFD–DEM Analysis of Internal Soil Erosion Induced by Infiltration into Defective Buried Pipes |
| title_full | CFD–DEM Analysis of Internal Soil Erosion Induced by Infiltration into Defective Buried Pipes |
| title_fullStr | CFD–DEM Analysis of Internal Soil Erosion Induced by Infiltration into Defective Buried Pipes |
| title_full_unstemmed | CFD–DEM Analysis of Internal Soil Erosion Induced by Infiltration into Defective Buried Pipes |
| title_short | CFD–DEM Analysis of Internal Soil Erosion Induced by Infiltration into Defective Buried Pipes |
| title_sort | cfd dem analysis of internal soil erosion induced by infiltration into defective buried pipes |
| topic | computational fluid dynamics (CFD) discrete element method (DEM) soil erosion infiltration defective buried pipes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/7/253 |
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