ABSTRACT
The paper presents the results and conclusions from monitoring 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. Field tests lasted for 24 hours. On the basis of the measured displacements, using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method, the dominant frequencies of the culvert were determined. The logarithmic damping decrements (LDDs) and the damping ratios were also calculated. The maximum displacement and strain of the culvert did not exceed https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> 0.74 × 10 - 3 m https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429227196/8b5c0a5d-ddea-4c88-8eea-7152f7afb008/content/eq14861.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> and https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> - 43 × 10 - 6 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429227196/8b5c0a5d-ddea-4c88-8eea-7152f7afb008/content/eq14862.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> , 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 analytical methods (Sundquist-Pettersson, 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. Conclusions drawn from the tests are helpful in assessing the dynamic behaviour of CSP road culverts. In the case of small-to-medium span culverts and bridges of this type, conclusions from the field tests can be generalized for all types of such structural solutions. The received results from the experimental tests can be use in order to determine the safety of the CSP culverts.
