STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF A CONCRETE PIPE CULVERT-MOUNTAINHOUSE CREEK

AN 84" DIAMETER REINFORCED CONCRETE PIPE CULVERT, WITH A 1,000 D LOAD RATING, WAS BURIED UNDER 140 FEET OF HIGHWAY EMBANKMENT. SIX FORTY-FOOT-LONG ZONES WERE SUBJECTED TO THE FOLLOWING BEDDING AND BACKFILL PARAMETERS: (1) PIPE IN TRENCH, SHAPED BEDDING; (2) PIPE IN TRENCH, UNSHAPED FINE AGGREGATE BEDDING; (3) PIPE NOT IN TRENCH, SHAPED BEDDING; (4) PIPE NOT IN TRENCH, 60 DEGREE CONCRETE BEDDING; (5) PIPE NOT IN TRENCH, ON POLYSTYRENE PLANK; AND (6) PIPE NOT IN TRENCH, ON UNSHAPED LINE BEARING ON HARD EARTH. SOIL STRESSES AROUND THE PIPE PERIPHERY AND PIPE DISPLACEMENTS WERE MEASURED IN EACH ZONE. QUALITATIVE OBSERVATIONS WERE MADE OF STRUCTURAL DISTRESS IN THE PIPE, AND THE CONDITIONS IN EACH PIPE WERE COMPARED. RECORDS OF COSTS OF THE VARIOUS PARAMETRIC CONDITIONS WERE KEPT. RESULTS INDICATED THAT PLACEMENT OF A PIPE IN A TRENCH WAS OF GREATER IMPORTANCE THAN SHAPING THE BEDDING. THE 60 DEGREE CONCRETE BEDDING FAILED MOST DRAMATICALLY. THE POLYSTYRENE PLANK SHOWED SOME PROMISE. LINE BEARING, WITHOUT TRENCHING AND WITH ORDINARY EMBANKMENT MATERIAL FOR BACKFILL WAS THE CHEAPEST CONSTRUCTION METHOD. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  California Division of Highways

  Bridge Department
  Sacramento, CA  United States  05914

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Davis, R E
  • Bacher, A E
  • Obermuller, J C
• Publication Date: 1971

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bedding; Costs; Embankments; Reinforced concrete pipe; Soils; Structural analysis; Structural mechanics; Trenches
• Uncontrolled Terms: Structural behavior
• Subject Areas: Construction; Finance; Geotechnology; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00204027
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: No D-4-45
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 2002 12:00AM