MEASUREMENTS AND ANALYSES OF DEFORMED FLEXIBLE BOX CULVERTS

Field measurements of 22 in-service flexible box culverts showed that the in-place geometries of these in-service structures may vary from their theoretical geometries. Because the Simplified Design Method (SDM) for box culverts, developed in the early 1980s, was based on small-strain nonlinear finite element analyses (FEM) of box culverts with theoretical "design" geometries, it was necessary to evaluate how structural deformations would affect the induced bending moments that govern box culvert design. Additional FEM studies of deformed and undeformed box culverts show that the current SDM methodology may slightly underestimate the design bending moments for flexible box culverts with installed geometries that differ significantly from their theoretical undeformed geometries. Design bending moments were found to be underestimated by as much as 20% for worst-case deformation conditions with shallow crown cover depths. An appropriate minor modification of the SDM methodology is thus proposed.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1989/1231/1231-003.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=MEASUREMENTS+AND+ANALYSES+OF+DEFORMED+FLEXIBLE+BOX+CULVERTS&author=R.+Boulanger&author=R.+Seed&author=R.+Baird&author=J.+Schluter&publication_year=1989
• Availability:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1231, Analysis, Design, and Behavior of Underground Culverts. 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:
  • Boulanger, Ross W
  • Seed, Raymond B
  • Baird, Robert D
  • Schluter, James C
• Publication Date: 1989

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 25-35
• Monograph Title: Analysis, design, and behaviour of underground culverts
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1231
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis; Bending moments; Box culverts; Deformation; Design methods; Field tests; Finite element method; Geometry
• Uncontrolled Terms: Field measurements
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00495123
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309048249
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 30 1990 12:00AM