Abstract
Offshore pipelines are often buried in trenches and may be susceptible to upheaval buckling due to thermal loading. The uplift capacity provided by the soil above the pipe is an important design consideration as it generally controls the required burial depth and the potential need for additional rock dump. This paper examines ultimate uplift capacity in undrained clay. Comparisons are made between results from numerical assessment using elasto-plastic Finite Element and the current Recommended Practice DNV-RP-F110 (DNV 2007). Limitations in the DNV approach resulting in assessments on either the safe or unsafe side are discussed and alternative equations proposed.