Culvert versus Bridge Hydraulics for Larger-Span or Short Culverts
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 2
Abstract
A bridge versus culvert hydraulics approach may be taken to estimate the headwater of larger-span (or equivalently short) culvert-like structures, and design manuals often argue that the former should be technically preferred. A laboratory study was undertaken to investigate short and long box culverts, including roughness effects, with special attention paid to short-structure cases with entirely open-channel flow. The data were analyzed using discharge coefficients and approximate analytical models. Simulations were conducted with the HEC-RAS bridge model (with mainly default or recommended parameter values and options) and HY-8 to assess the predictive performance and benefits, if any, of a bridge versus culvert hydraulics approach. Observations support the presence of shortness and roughness effects, but do not support any significant advantage of a bridge versus culvert hydraulics approach. On the contrary, the performance of HY-8 was found to be superior to that of the HEC-RAS bridge model for rough-bed cases, perhaps fortuitously, due to its often conservative choice of parameter values.
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Data Availability Statement
The experimental data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Joint Transportation Research Program (Award Number SPR 3815) administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University. The authors would like to acknowledge the advice and comments of the project advisory committee (Bill Schmidt, Dave Finley, and Tony Cox) during the course of the project. The contents of this paper, however, reflect only the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein, and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the sponsoring organizations. These contents do not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 2 • March 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 19, 2023
Accepted: Oct 24, 2023
Published online: Jan 16, 2024
Published in print: Mar 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jun 16, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Bridge design
- Bridge engineering
- Bridges
- Culverts
- Design (by type)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Hydraulic design
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic models
- Hydraulic properties
- Hydraulic roughness
- Hydraulic structures
- Infrastructure
- Laboratory tests
- Models (by type)
- Pipeline systems
- Pipes
- Structural engineering
- Tests (by type)
- Water and water resources
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