Abstract

Methods of installation and design criteria have tended to restrict the usefulness of rigid pipe culverts. With the increased mileage of highways which meet high standards, there has been an increase in the number of pipe culverts installed under high fills. This, of course, has accented the need for criteria for the proper design and installation of rigid pipe to obtain the maximum utilization of the pipe strength and to minimize the possible steelements that may occur in the road surface near the pipe installation or in the flow line of the pipe culvert.

In order to provide for an efficient utilization of rigid pipe, the Department of Highways issued Standard Drawings and Amendments No. 15 and 16 to the 1956 Edition of Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction specifying the bedding details and strength of pipe required for the various heights of fill. These standards were developed from the criteria set by the Bureau of Public Roads· The BPR criteria had been developed in co-operation with the American Concrete Pipe Association and was an attempt to bring together and simplify the prevailing methods of computing the necessary pipe strengths for the various classes of bedding commonly in use. Included in the Kentucky Standards was a provision permitting the use of the imperfect trench type of construction. Kentucky is, thus, one of thirteen states which permits this type of bedding, or a modification thereof.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the design and construction criteria, the Bureau of Public Roads has requested that a number of reinforced concrete pipe installations be selected for periodic inspections. The data reported herein are a summary of the design and construction data for the pipes selected for study and a report of the condition of the pipes as observed during the first field inspection.

Report Date

3-1-1961

Report Number

No. 162

Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/KTC.RR.1961.162

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