In-Situ Load Testing of Corrugated Steel Pipe-Arch Culverts
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 22, Issue 4
Abstract
A large number of corrugated metal pipe-arch culverts are located under highways. This study investigates the field performance of four existing pipe-arch culverts under static and dynamic loads. Effects of various parameters were considered in selection of the culverts, including backfill height, loading conditions, age of placement, and culvert geometry. Static loads were applied at ten different locations above each culvert using heavily loaded test trucks. Six dynamic tests were conducted at speeds varying from 8 to . A portable instrumentation frame was installed inside each test culvert to monitor the deflections at five critical locations. During each test, strains were also measured using 14 strain gauges. Test results indicated that culvert response was influenced significantly by the backfill height. Nearly symmetrical deflection patterns were recorded for symmetrical loading about the longitudinal vertical plane through the crown. The maximum static deflections were larger than the maximum dynamic deflections for each culvert.
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Acknowledgments
Funding for this research was provided by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). This support is gratefully acknowledged. The writers thank the ODOT Office of Structural Engineering and, in particular, research engineers Amjad Waheed and Bill Krouse for their assistance with the project and comments on this paper.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 22 • Issue 4 • August 2008
Pages: 245 - 252
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: May 3, 2007
Accepted: Dec 3, 2007
Published online: Aug 1, 2008
Published in print: Aug 2008
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