Long-Span Deep-Corrugated Structural Plate Arches with Encased-Concrete Composite Ribs

Abstract

The design and construction of two long-span reinforced deep-corrugated structural plate arch culverts are described. The arch structures have maximum spans of 23.3 and 19.0 m. They were constructed on the Alaska Highway in northern British Columbia, Canada, during the fall of 1998. The 23.3-m-span arch is the largest of its kind in the world. Both structures are intermittently reinforced using a system of encased-concrete stiffeners. This system employs concrete pumped into the cavities formed by opposing deep-corrugated steel plates fitted with shear studs. The reinforcement for the 19.0-m structure was terminated at a location above the springline of the arch. The reinforcement for the 23.3-m-span arch extended to the top of the foundation. The arches were designed in accordance with the provisions of the Ontario Highway Bridge Design Code and the new Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code for Buried Structures. They were also reviewed using a nonlinear frame analysis (Structural Optimization Design and Analysis, or SODA) and a finite-element analysis (Nonlinear Soil-Structure Interaction Program, or NLSSIP). The deflected shapes of the two arches were monitored by instruments in the field during the construction and backfilling operation. The design results and field-measured deflections are evaluated.