Simplified System-Level Pavement-Stiffness Model for Box Culvert Load-Rating Applications
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 22, Issue 10
Abstract
Tens of thousands of aging, bridge-class, RC box culverts are in service in the United States. Within the context of establishing load rating for in-service RC box culverts, this paper introduces, calibrates, and applies a system-level pavement-stiffness model to a production-simplified, soil–structure interaction model used for calculating load demands. The proposed pavement-stiffness model uses system-level pavement data to account for the additional stiffness provided by the pavement structure to attenuate live load. The full cover-soil depth is modeled using linear-elastic finite elements per the production-simplified soil–structure interaction model, and the additional stiffness provided by the pavement structure is modeled using beam elements across the top row of finite-element nodes. Equivalent beam-modulus values for the system-level pavement-stiffness model were calibrated against results from a research-intensive, full-pavement model for various pavement types. A parametric study using the proposed model showed that the inclusion of pavement stiffness could increase the load ratings for both asphalt pavements with an intermediate thickness and concrete pavements, for both direct-traffic and low-fill RC box culverts. The effects of the system-level pavement-stiffness model on predicted live-load moment response were further evaluated using measured live-load moments from field live-load tests on in-service culverts. From these comparisons, the system-level pavement-stiffness model showed improved accuracy and precision of the live-load demand prediction. Finally, load-rating analyses performed for an illustrative sample of 24 in-service Texas RC box culverts under various pavement types showed improved rating factors from the system-level pavement-stiffness model compared to the production-oriented soil–structure interaction model without pavement stiffness and the AASHTO-recommended structural-frame model. The inclusion of the pavement stiffness when modeling in-plane live-load attenuation improves the RC box culvert load-rating results and can be implemented for systemwide infrastructure management.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Bridge Division of the TxDOT for sponsoring the research study that yielded the data that form the basis for this paper.
References
AASHTO. (2008). Mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide: A manual of practice, Interim Ed., Washington, DC.
AASHTO. (2013). Manual for bridge evaluation (MBE), with 2011 and 2013 interim revisions, 2nd Ed., Washington, DC.
AASHTO. (2014). LRFD bridge design specifications, U.S. customary units, 7th Ed., Washington, DC.
ASTM. (2009). “Standard test method for deflections with a falling-weight-type impulse load device.” D4694-09, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2011). “Standard practice for classification of soils for engineering purposes (unified soil classification system).” D2487-11, West Conshohocken, PA.
CANDE [Computer software]. M. Katona and FHWA/AASHTO/TRB, Gig Harbor, WA.
CULVLR [Computer software]. Texas Dept. of Transportation, Austin, TX.
FHWA (Federal Highway Administration). (2009). “Bridges, structures, and hydraulics.” 23 C.F.R. 650, subpart C, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
FHWA (Federal Highway Administration). (2016). National bridge inventory. Bridges and structures, safety, bridge inspection, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Washington, DC.
Han, J., Acharya, R., Parsons, R. L., and Khatri, D. (2013). “Improved load distribution for load rating of low-fill box structures.” Final Rep. No. K-Tran KU-12-3, Kansas Dept. of Transportation, Topeka, KS.
Jung, Y. S., Zollinger, D. G., Cho, B. H., Won, M., and Wimsatt, A. J. (2012). “Subbase and subgrade performance investigation and design guidelines for concrete pavement.” Rep. No. FHWA/TX-12/0-6037-2, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX.
Lawson, W. D., Wood, T. A., Newhouse, C. D., and Jayawickrama, P. W. (2009). Culvert rating guide, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Austin, TX.
Lawson, W. D., Wood, T. A., Newhouse, C. D., and Jayawickrama, P. W. (2010). “Evaluating existing culverts for load capacity allowing for soil structure interaction.” FHWA/TX-10/0-5849-1, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Austin, TX.
Lawson, W.D., et al. (2016). “Load rating TxDOT pre-1980 in-service culverts: Model enhancements, procedure improvements, and results for 1,000 structures.” Rep. No. FHWA/TX-16/88-4XXIA001-R1 Draft Final Rep. Submitted to Texas Dept. of Transportation, Texas Tech Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation.
Liu, W., and Scullion, T. (2011). Flexible pavement design system FPS 21: User’s manual, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Austin, TX.
Mlynarski, M., Clancy, C., McGrath, T., and Katona, M. (2016). Influence of in-plane pavement stiffness on the load-rating factor, RF for buried culverts, presented to TRB Committee AFF70 〈https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFbnx0cmJjb21taXR0ZWVhZmY3MHxneDoyYTZjZDNmMDMyMmZlM2Rl〉 (Aug. 1, 2016).
NCHRP (National Cooperative Highway Research Program). (2015). “Proposed modifications to AASHTO culvert load rating specifications.” NCHRP 15-54, Washington, DC.
Orton, S., Loehr, E., Boeckmann, A., and Havens, G. (2013). “Live load effect in reinforced concrete box culverts under soil fill.” Tech. Rep. cmr14-009, Missouri Dept. of Transportation, Jefferson City, MO.
Petersen, D. L, Nelson, C. R., Li, G., McGrath, T. J., and Kitane, Y. (2010). “Recommended design specifications for live load distribution to buried structures.” NCHRP Rep. 647, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
RISA-3D 14.0 [Computer software]. RISA Technologies, LLC, Foothill Ranch, CA.
Tatari, O., Sargand, S. M., Masada, T., and Tarawneh, B. (2013). “Neural network approach to condition assessment of highway culverts: Case study in Ohio.” J. Infrastruct. Syst., 409–414.
TxDOT (Texas Dept. of Transportation). (2011). Pavement design guide, Austin, TX.
TxDOT (Texas Dept. of Transportation). (2014). Pavement management information system: Raters manual, Austin, TX.
Walubita, L. F., and Scullion, T. (2010). Texas perpetual pavements—New design guidelines, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Austin, TX.
Won, M. C. (2001). “Performance of continuously reinforced concrete pavement containing recycled concrete aggregate.” Rep. No. FHWA/TX-01-1753-1, Texas Tech Univ. Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation, Lubbock, TX.
Wood, T. A., Lawson, W. D., Jayawickrama, P. W., and Newhouse, C. D. (2015). “Evaluation of production models for load rating reinforced concrete box culverts.” J. Bridge Eng., 04014057.
Wood, T. A., Lawson, W. D., Surles, J. G., Jayawickrama, P. W., and Seo, H. (2016). “Improved load rating of reinforced-concrete box culverts using depth-calibrated live-load attenuation.” J. Bridge Eng., 04016095.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 22 • Issue 10 • October 2017
Copyright
© 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 2, 2017
Accepted: Apr 19, 2017
Published online: Jul 28, 2017
Published in print: Oct 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Dec 28, 2017
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.