Earth pressure distribution around flexible arch pipes

Abstract

The Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Swedish Design Manual (SDM) are regarded as fundamental manuals for the design of flexible corrugated metal pipes. However, these manuals do not consider properly several factors that may affect the soil-structure interaction, such as the backfill soil stiffness, the pipe burial depth, the effect of compaction loads, and the trench geometry, including the trench width and the slope of the side of the excavation. To examine these factors, this paper utilizes a detailed finite element model of a flexible corrugated metal arch pipe. The model was developed and validated by using a field case study in Sweden. In a comprehensive parametric study, the numerical analysis and the empirical methods are used to investigate the applicability and accuracy of these methods for estimating the interaction behaviour of flexible culverts installed in semi-shallow and shallow trenches.