SOIL STRUCTURE ARCHING ANALYSIS OF BURIED FLEXIBLE STRUCTURES

RECENT OBSERVATIONS ON BURIED STRUCTURES MADE IN THE LABORATORY LED TO THE CONCLUSION THAT ONE IS NOT JUSTIFIED IN USING THE CLASSICAL MARSTON THEORY INDISCRIMINATELY FOR LOADS ON UNDERGROUND PIPE. TO ALLOW FOR PRESSURE REDISTRIBUTION ACROSS THE TOP OF A BURIED FLAT-ROOFED STRUCTURE, A DIFFERENT DIFFERENTIAL ELEMENT MUST BE ASSUMED. THE ONE CHOSEN WAS THE SHAPE OF A CIRCULAR ARCH. AFTER SELECTING THE DIFFERENTIAL ELEMENT, THE PROBLEM OF DETERMINING THE LOCATION OF THE SOIL ARCH SUPPORT IN THE SOIL MASS FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL ELEMENT ARISES. THERE IS NO PHYSICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR ASSUMING THAT THE ARCH EXTENDS ONLY ACROSS THE PRISM OF SOIL DIRECTLY ABOVE THE BURIED STRUCTURE. THE LOCATION OF THE SOIL ARCH SUPPORT WAS ASSUMED TO BE AT THE LOCATION OF THE MAXIMUM SHEAR STRESS WITHIN THE SOIL MASS AS DETERMINED BY THE THEORY OF ELASTICITY. IF ANY MOVEMENT OR STRAIN IN THE SOIL SHOULD OCCUR, THE MAJORITY OF IT SHOULD TAKE PLACE IN THE REGION OF MAXIMUM SHEAR STRESS. THE THEORY OF ELASTICITY IS NOT USED FOR DETERMINING THE STRESS IN THE DIFFERENT SOIL ARCH. IT IS USED ONLY TO LOCATE THE REGION OF MAXIMUM SHEAR STRESS BEFORE ANY SLIPPAGE OF THE SOIL GRAINS OCCURS. IT IS PROPOSED THAT A MOVEMENT OR STRAIN WITHIN THE SOIL MASS WILL CAUSE THE DIFFERENTIAL SOIL ARCH TO FORM. A DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION WAS WRITTEN USING THE CIRCULAR ARCH. WHEN ALL OF THE NECESSARY PARAMETERS, INCLUDING NONLINEAR MODULUS OF PASSIVE RESISTANCE FOR SOIL, WERE INCLUDED, THE RESULTING DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION WAS NOT READILY INTEGRABLE. THEREFORE, A NUMERICAL INTEGRATION PROCEDURE WAS USED TO OBTAIN SOLUTIONS. RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH MODEL STUDIES AND WITH SEVERAL FIELD INSTALLATIONS WHERE ADEQUATE INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1967/185/185-004.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Buried Structures and Committee on Culverts and Culvert Pipe and presented at the 46th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Nielson, F Dwayne
• Publication Date: 1967

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 36-50
• Monograph Title: Tunneling, geophysical studies and soil-culvert interactions
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 185
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Arching (Soils); Differentials (Gears); Elasticity (Mechanics); Integrated systems; Numerical analysis; Pressure; Shear stress; Soils; Underground structures
• Uncontrolled Terms: Integration; Model tests; Passive resistance; Pressure distribution
• Old TRIS Terms: Differential pressure; Elastic theory
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00233933
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 13 1994 12:00AM