Pressure on submarine pipelines under slowly sliding mud flows

There might be some effect of slowly sliding mud flows of the seabed to the submarine pipelines.Experimental investigations were carried out in a model flume to study pressure on the pipelines generated by slowly sliding mud flows.PVC pipes were used to simulate the submarine pipelines and mud was selected as the material of the seabed.Further work was done to discuss the effect of burial depth on the magnitude of pressure by use of the finite element method.Based on the test results and FEM analysis,a regression formula of the pressure acting on the pipelines was suggested.The formula would be beneficial to the engineering design of the pipelines.