Abstract: Based on uniaxial tensile test at a given strain rate, the constitutive model parameters of polyethylene (PE) were obtained by fitting method, and its yield stress was determined. The mechanical response was studied using finite element method with a rectangular pipesoil model, which was symmetrical about the pipe cross section, and influences of the surface load parameters (length of surface load area=L, width of surface load area=W) were analyzed. The results showed that the maximum vertical direction offset of buried PE pipe under surface load occurred in the axial crosssectional plane of symmetry, the maximum Mises stress increased and its location changed as the surface load increased, and the surface load decreased exponentially as L and W increased when PE pipe yielded.

Key words: buried condition, mechanical response, numerical simulation, pipe, surface load, polyethylene