Box Culvert

Box Culvert

Rectangular reinforced concrete structure made of single or multiple cells for passage of fluid, usually storm water.

Design and Analysis:

  1. Design Criteria

    1. AASHTO Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges
    2. AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering

  2. Analysis Methods

    1. Finite Element Analysis
    2. Moment Distribution
    3. AREMA Chapter 8, Part 16 formulas
    4. Beam Formulas
    5. Reinforced Concrete Analysis

  3. Design Procedure

    1. Determine the applied loads using the appropriate design criteria.
    2. Investigate load cases which will give the maximum positive and negative bending moments in the walls.
    3. Detemine the maximum shear and bending moments using the selected analysis method.
    4. Calculate the required wall thickness and reinforcing steel area to satisfy the appropriate design criteria.

  4. Typical Details

    1. ASTM C850 Standard Specification for Precast Reinforced Concrete Box Sections for Culverts, Storm Drains, and Sewers with Less Than 2 ft of Cover Subjected to Highway Loadings.
    2. ASTM C789-95a Standard Specification for Precast Reinforced Concrete Box Sections for Culverts, Storm Drains, and Sewers
    3. Cast-in-Place Reinforced Concrete Single Box Culvert Caltrans Standard Plan No. D80
    4. Cast-in-Place Reinforced Concrete Double Box Culvert Caltrans Standard Plan No. D81