TRAINING ON CAPACITY BUILDING FOR

PRACTISING CIVIL ENGINEERS

2018

LOADING TOBOX-CULVERTS

MISUNGWI CDTTI
By Eng. H.J.Mtyana

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 General Aspects
Box culverts are drainage structures which consist
of two horizontal slabs and two or more vertical
walls. The slabs and walls are built monolithically,
and are ideally installed for a road or a railway
bridge crossing with high embankments crossing a
stream with a limited flow. Reinforced concrete rigid
frame box culverts with square or rectangular
openings are used up to spans of 4.0 m. The
height of the vent (h) with respect to Figure 1,
generally does not exceed 3.0 m.

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 ts
f
f

tw

H
h
l s t a n d a r d fillet
f = 150 m m
L

Figure 1: Single cell box culvert.

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Box culverts are economical due to their rigidity
and monolithic action and separate foundations
are not required since the bottom slab resting
directly on the soil, serves as raft foundation.

For small discharges, single celled box culvert is

used and for large discharges, multi-celled box
culverts can be employed. The barrel of the box
culvert should be of sufficient length to
accommodate the carriage way and the kerbs.

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 UDSM July 2012

Figure 2: Double cell box culvert 5

Figure 3: Triple cell box culvert

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 Analysis Assumptions
• Frame
The box culvert shall be analyzed, as a rigid
frame with all corner connections considered
rigid.

• Sidesway
Sidesway is not considered in the analysis

• Section Properties
The centerlines of slab, walls and floor are used
for computing section properties and for
dimensional analysis. Standard fillets which
are not required for moment or shear or both
shall not be considered in computing section 7
properties.
 Minimum Thickness
The following minimum thickness shall be used

Top slab: ts = 200 mm, but taken as 80-

100mm per 1.00m length
of the span

Floor slab: tf = 250 mm

Wall: tw = 25 mm per 300 mm of wall

height but not less than 230 mm.
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 Design Loads
The structural design of a reinforced concrete box
culvert comprises the detailed analysis of rigid
frame for moments, shear forces and thrusts due
to various types of loading conditions outlined
below:

1. Concentrated Loads
2. Uniform Distributed Loads
3. Weight of Side Walls
4. Water Pressure Inside Culvert
5. Earth Pressure on Vertical Side Walls
6. Uniform Lateral Load on Side Walls
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 1. Concentrated Loads
In cases where the top slab forms the deck of the bridge,
concentrated loads due to the wheel loads of the BS
5400 HB type loading have to be considered.
If P = wheel load due to HB loading which include the
impact factor of.25%, the dispersal length = 1.75D,
and D = depth of soil fill, then the load intensity on the
culvert slab,

W = (P/(1.75D) kN/m ……(1)

The soil reaction of the bottom slab is assumed to be

uniform. The notations used for the box culvert and the
type of loadings to be considered are shown in Figure
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 2. Concentrated Loads
P 1.80m P

P 1.80m P 1.75 D
D

Case 1(a) Case 1(b)

Figure 4: Point load due to vehicles 11

• The weight of embankment, wearing coat
and, deck slab and the track load are
considered to be uniformly distributed loads
on the top slab with the uniform soil reaction
on the bottom slab.
• Minimum D = 300 mm
• BS 5400 HA
Loading
 3. Uniformly distribuated Loads
Fill depth

D gD HA - KEL
w/m 2
HA - Udl

w/m 2 kN/m

Case 2 Figure 5: Uniform distributed loads 12

 SPIN PROJECT TRAINING –
U DSM J uly 2 012
3 . We ig h t ofSide Walls
The self weights of two side walls
acting as concentrated loads are
assumed to produce uniform soil
Ww reaction on the bottom slab.
Ww = is the weight of one
wall, and is given by:
Ww = twHc kN/m transversal
Where
tw = wall thickness
H = height of wall, and
c = density of concrete =24kN/m3.
Case 3

Figure 6: Load from walls

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 SPIN PROJECT TRAINING –
4. WaUDteSMrPJurlye2s0s12ureInside Culvert

p/m 2 p/m 2
Case 4
Figure 7: Water pressure

Intensity of water pressure p = wh

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 SPIN PROJECT TRAINING –
UDSM July 2012
5. Earth Pressure on Vertical Side Walls
The earth
D
• pressure on the
vertical side walls of
the box culvert is h
computed according
to the Coloumb’s
Theory. The
p/m 2 distribution
Case 5
of soil
p/m 2

pressureFigure
on 8:the side
Soil pressure

 1wall
 sin is
 shown in
Soil pressure, p   h 
 sin  8.
 1Figure
s
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 SPIN PROJECT TRAINING –
U D SM J uly 2 0 12
6.Unifo r m L a te r a l Load on Side Walls
Uniform lateral pressure on
vertical side walls has to be
considered due to the effect
of live load surcharge. Also
trapezoidal pressure
distribution on side walls due
to embankment loading can
be obtained by combining the
p/m 2 p/m 2 cases (5) and (6).
Case 6

Figure 9: Lateral load due to surcharge loads

Uniform lateral pressure due to the effect of surcharge loads is obtained

from:
p  Surch arg e Loads 1 sin 
 1  sin  16
 SPIN PROJECT TRAINING –
UDSM July 2012
Design Moments, Shears and Thrusts
A box culvert is analyzed for moments, shear
forces and axial thrusts developed due to the
various loading conditions by any of the classical
methods such as moment distribution, slope
deflection or column analogy procedures.
Alternatively coefficients for moments, shears
and trusts from various structural analysis books
are very useful in the computation of the various
force components for the different loading
conditions.

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 SPIN PROJECT TRAINING –

UDSM July 2012

Table 1a: Some standard formulae for analyzing box culverts
EI = Constant Mi Mk
i k
l B
A

A B Mi Mk

q q ql  ql 2  ql 2
l 2 2 12 12

q 0.35ql 0.15ql  ql 2  ql 2
20 30

q 0.15ql 0.35ql  ql 2  ql 2
30 20

qi qk 0.35qi  0.15q kl 0.15qi 0.35q k l  1.5qi  qk 2 9qi  1.5qk 2

l  l
30 30

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 SPIN PROJECT TRAINING –
UDSM July 2012
Table 1b: Some standard formulae for analyzing box culverts
EI = Constant Mk
i k
l A B

A B Mk

q 3ql 5ql  ql 2
8 8 8

q 11 9
ql  7 ql 2
ql
40 40 120

q ql 2ql  ql 2
10 5 15

q qk 11q  4q  9q  16q   7 q  8q k  2

i k
l i k
l  i l
i 40 40  120 

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 SPIN PROJECT TRAINING –
UDSM Jul y2 0 12
C o n clusion:
Design Of Critical Sections
The maximum design moments resulting from the combination of
the various loading cases are determined. The moments at the
centre of span of top and bottom slabs and the support sections
and at the centre of the vertical walls are determined by suitably
combining, the different loading patterns. The maximum moments
generally develop for the following loading conditions:
1. When the slab supports the dead and live lads and the culvert is
empty.
2. When the top slab supports the dead and live lads and the
culvert is running full.
3. When the sided of the culvert do not carry the live load and the
culvert is running full.

The slab of the box culvert is reinforced on both faces with fillets
at the inside corners.
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