Field Tests of Long-Span Aluminum Culvert

A 28.5 ft (8.7 m) span, 17-ft 10-in. (5.4-m) high corrugated aluminum culvert was instrumented to obtain measurements of strain and displacement during backfilling and under static live load. Values of circumferential bending moment and thurst at 16 locations spaced around the structure's circumference at mid-span are reported for each 2 ft (0.6 m) of backfill from the springline to 2 ft (0.6 m) over the crown. Despite bending moments, 70 percent of the fully plastic value, and stresses which exceed the nominal yield point of the aluminum, it is concluded that the structural behavior is satisfactory. Discrepancies between measured values and design prediction are discussed.