A PRACTICAL METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING RIGID CONDUITS UNDER HIGH FILLS

THIS PAPER GIVES A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF REINFORCED CONCRETE PIPE CULVERTS IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIF. THESE CULVERTS WERE CONSTRUCTED AS CONVENTIAL POSITIVE PROJECTING CONDUITS, BUT WITH A LAYER OF BALED STRAW PLACED DIRECTLY ON THE PIPE TO CREATE A CONDITION WHEREIN THE CENTRAL PRISM OF SOIL ABOVE THE CONDUIT WOULD SETTLE MORE THAN THE SOIL ADJACENT, THEREBY INSURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF UPWARD SHEARING FORCES; THAT IS, AN ARCHING ACTION, WHICH GREATLY REDUCES THE LOAD ON THE STRUCTURE. THE RESULTING ACTION IS COMPARABLE WITH THAT OBTAINED FOR NEGATIVE PROJECTING CONDUITS (CALIFORNIA METHOD B) OR FOR IMPERFECT DITCH CONDUITS. FAVORABLE RESULTS WERE OBTAINED BY THIS STRAW METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION IN THE CASE OF TWO 54-IN. AND ONE 66-IN. CONCRETE PIPE CULVERTS UNDER FILLS 38 TO 65 FT IN HEIGHT. PERFORMANCE OF THE PIPES WAS MEASURED BY OBSERVING THE DISTORTION OF THESE PIPES COMPARED WITH THE DISTORTION OF SIMILAR PIPES INSTALLED CONVENTIONALLY. DISTORTION IS DEFINED AS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DIAMETERS OF THE PIPE, EXPRESSED AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE THEORETICAL PIPE DIAMETER. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CULVERTS IN WHICH THE BALED STRAW METHOD WAS USED WAS MUCH BETTER THAN THOSE IN WHICH IT WAS NOT USED. /HRB/

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/HRBproceedings/41/41-018.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 41, pp 273-280, 5 FIG, 1 REF. 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:
  • Larsen, N G
  • Hendrickson, J G
• Publication Date: 1962

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 8-12, 1962
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 41
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conduits; Construction; Design; Fills; Ground settlement; Pipe culverts; Reinforced concrete culverts; Static loads; Stiffness; Straw
• Old TRIS Terms: Rigid conduits
• Subject Areas: Construction; Design; Geotechnology; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215419
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jan 24 1972 12:00AM