Live Load Rating of Cast-in-Place Concrete Box Culverts

Cast-in-place (CIP) reinforced concrete (RC) box culverts constitute a large portion of Louisiana’s bridge inventory. Culverts constructed using old detailing standards, especially the ones with lower fill heights, typically produce lower load rating factors when American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) procedures are followed. Nevertheless, the performance of these culverts is typically acceptable, and they rarely show signs of distress. The purpose of this project is to assess the load rating of representative CIP-RC box culverts from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (Louisiana DOTD) inventory. Eight culverts with different fill heights and pavement types were selected for the study. In the first phase of this research, field live load testing of the culverts was conducted after instrumenting each culvert with a structural health monitoring (SHM) system consisting of a total 48 sensors including displacement, strain, and tiltmeter sensors. In the second phase of the research, refined three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) models were built for each tested culvert and were calibrated using measured field data. AASHTO’s Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE) rating methodology was followed in this research to distribute the live loads through the soil fill, and project drawings were used to develop connection details in FE models. AASHTO’s design truck, HL-93, and legal trucks were passed on the calibrated culvert models, and the resulting straining actions were used to estimate load rating factors. This report provides details about the methodology used in this study, field test data and 3D FE models, and load rating factors for the 8 culverts covered in this study. Finally, recommendations and research needs are presented.

• Record URL:
  http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2018/FR_593.pdf
• Record URL:
  http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2018/593_Appendix.pdf
• 
• Summary URL:
  https://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2018/ts_593.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/58611
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Appendices (307p.) are a separate document at the provided URL.
• Corporate Authors:

  Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803

  Louisiana Transportation Research Center

  Baton Rouge, LA  United States 

  Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

  Baton Rouge, LA  United States 

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Okeil, Ayman M
  • Ulger, Tuna
  • Elshoura, Ahmed
• Publication Date: 2018-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 90p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Box culverts; Cast in place concrete; Field tests; Finite element method; Live loads; Load factor; Methodology; Structural health monitoring
• Identifier Terms: AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation
• Geographic Terms: Louisiana
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01678464
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/LA.17/593, LTRC Project Number: 16-3ST
• Contract Numbers: State Project Number: DOTLT1000108
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 23 2018 3:42PM