Structural evaluation of invert-cut circular and arch shape corrugated steel pipes through laboratory testing

Abstract

Culverts are important components of highway infrastructure. They are structurally designed to support earth and live traffic loads. Corrugated steel pipes (CSPs) are widely used as culverts in North America in different geometries. However, due to the corrosive nature of the stormwater passing through the culverts, it is common to find CSPs with partially or entirely lost inverts. Dependent on site, depth of cover and embedment conditions, invert deterioration would not necessarily result in culvert failure. This paper presents the results of a laboratory testing campaign that evaluates the structural capacity of two circular CSPs and their equivalent arch CSP through the application of a vertical static loading. The circular pipe samples had a length of 6 ft (1.82 m) and a diameter of 60 in. (1.52 m). The same length arch pipe sample had a span of 71 in. (1.8 m) and a rise of 47 in. (1.19 m). The invert of the arch and one of the circular CSPs were cut to simulate heavily corroded culverts in service. The pipe samples were embedded under two feet (0.6 m) of cover using one foot (0.3 m) of sand and one foot (0.3 m) of coarse aggregates on top, simulating a base course layer of pavement. The results of testing showed that the invert-cut circular CSP was highly dependent on its ring stiffness. While, the invert-cut arch CSP took advantage of its arch geometry and was able to resist the applied load without significant loss in the sample pipe’s horizontal dimension.

Performance Analysis of Multiple Steel Corrugated Pipe Arch Culvert under Construction and Periodic Vehicle Load

“…Sezen et al [13] studied the performance of eight single-steel corrugated pipe culverts under static load and dynamic load. Tehrani et al [14] carried out static loading tests on circular and arched steel corrugated pipe culverts, and the working performance of steel corrugated pipe culverts with different shapes was evaluated. Yeau et al [15] conducted a three-dimensional numerical simulation and compared it with field measurement data to analyze the influence of backfill height, loading, size, shape, and other characteristics on culvert performance.…”