Which failure mode arises when a heated pipeline is constructed above discontinuous permafrost?

💡 Explanation

When a heated pipeline lies atop discontinuous permafrost, thermal conduction causes thawing of the permafrost because the ground becomes less firm, leading to differential settlement and inducing stress that ruptures the pipeline. Therefore thaw settlement results in pipeline rapture, rather than seismicity, liquefaction, or heave which require different initiation circumstances.

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