STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF A FLEXIBLE METAL CULVERT UNDER A DEEP EARTH EMBANKMENT USING METHOD B (BALED STRAW) BACKFILL

VOLUME I DESCRIBES THE RESULTS OF A FULL SCALE TEST OF A 114-INCH STRUCTURAL PLATE PIPE UNDER A 100 FOOT EMBANKMENT FOR 2 YEARS. SOIL PRESSURE-HEIGHT FUNCTIONS ARE NONLINEAR. PERIPHERAL PRESSURE DISTRIBUTIONS ON THE UPPER HALF OF THE PIPE UNDER 80 FEET OF FILL WERE SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED ON A CONCRETE ARCH (SAN LUIS) WITH ONE-HALF THE EMBANKMENT DENSITY ACTING AT THE CROWN, HORIZONTAL DIAMETER AND LOWER QUADRANTS; 100 PCF AT THE UPPER QUADRANT POINTS; AND 166 PCF AT THE INSERT. GOOD CORRELATIONS OF QUASI-THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL INTERNAL STRESSES WERE OBTAINED. USING THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS, PIPE WALL STRESSES WERE SHOWN TO BE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO SMALL ERRORS IN PREDICTED PRESSURES AND PIPE SHAPE. LARGE PRESSURE GRADIENTS AND ABOVE-YIELD STRAINS INDICATE NEED FOR CONSIDERATION OF WALL BENDING MOMENTS IN DESIGN OF CULVERTS. INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE THAT USING STRAW OVER THE CULVERT PRODUCES SUCH SEVERE PRESSURE GRADIENTS THAT THIS METHOD OF BACKFILLING MAY BE DETRIMENTAL TO FLEXIBLE CULVERT CONSTRUCTION. VOL. 2 CONTAINS SIX APPENDICES OF DATA, THEORETICAL ANALYSES AND CALCULATIONS OF CORRUGATED SECTION PROPERTIES. /BPR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Hpr, D-4-20
• Corporate Authors:

  California Division of Highways

  Bridge Department
  Sacramento, CA  United States  05914

  Bureau of Public Roads /US

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Davis, R E
  • Bacher, A E
  • Mcmahon, J E
  • Legarra, J A
• Publication Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Atmospheric pressure; Backfilling; Bending moments; Conduits; Corrugated metal culverts; Earth pressure; Embankments; Finite element method; Flexible structures; Mathematical analysis; Metals; Pipe culverts; Pressure; Specimens; Straw; Stresses; Structural analysis; Structural mechanics; Testing; Walls
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pressure distribution; Structural behavior
• Old TRIS Terms: Backfills; Finite elements; Flexible conduits; Full scale specimens; Pressure gradient
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215913
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bureau of Public Roads /US
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 9 1970 12:00AM