Field Performance of Corrugated Steel Plate Road Culvert under Normal Live-Load Conditions

Abstract

The paper presents the results and conclusions from field tests under service loads conducted on a corrugated steel plate (CSP) road culvert. Strains and displacements were measured in selected cross sections of the culvert during the passage of vehicles. The field tests lasted for 24 h. On the basis of the measured displacements, using the fast Fourier transform method, the dominant frequencies of the culvert were determined. The logarithmic damping decrements and the damping ratios were also calculated. The maximum displacement and strain of the culvert did not exceed 0.74×10−3 m and −43×10−6, respectively, and the maximum values were obtained in the crown of the structure. The culvert axial thrusts obtained from the field tests were compared with those calculated from the analytical methods [Sundquist-Pettersson, Canadian highway bridge code (CHBDC), and AASHTO LRFD], and in the case of bending moments, those calculated by the Sundquist-Pettersson method exclusively. The results clearly highlight the conservative approach of the AASHTO LRFD standard in calculating axial thrust. The Sundquist-Pettersson and CHBDC methods provided values (axial thrusts and bending moments) that are closest to the ones obtained from the field tests. The conclusions drawn from the tests are helpful in assessing the dynamic behavior of CSP road culverts. In the case of small-to-medium span culverts and bridges of this type, the conclusions from the field tests can be generalized for all types of such structural solutions.