| Project Title | Performance of Deteriorated Culverts Using Finite Element Methods |
| Funding Agency | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) |
| Funding Program | Discovery Grant |
| Researchers | Elham Nakhostin (Ph.D. Candidate), Dr. Shawn Kenny, and Dr. S. Sivathayalan |
Background
Corrugated metal culverts are common civil infrastructure components used to direct stormwater flow during rainfall or melt run-off events to water management systems and to mitigate damage effects on local infrastructure such as roads. These thin-walled metal structures have been used due to beneficial performance characteristics in terms of engineering design, construction, maintenance, and economics. However, many culverts are nearing the end of useful life with deterioration mechanisms, such as metal corrosion, that increase the potential for culvert failure. Other factors that influence the performance of metal culverts include soil chemistry, flow velocity and abrasion characteristics, static and dynamic load events, engineering characteristics of the soil backfill, soil pore pressure, and ground movement or geohazards. The significance of climate change effects, associated with physical processes such as increased storm intensity and variability in freeze/thaw cycles, on culvert vulnerability should also be considered. Ultimately, deteriorated culverts may fail that could result in personal injury, property damage, environmental impact and loss of life (e.g. road washout).
Research Objectives
Other research has indicated that metal culverts with significant deterioration due to wall thickness loss, associated with metal corrosion, may still meet the performance targets for serviceability (i.e. operational) and ultimate (i.e. strength) limit states. In this study, three-dimensional continuum finite element modelling procedures are developed to examine the mechanical response of a corrugated steel culvert, with deterioration associated with metal loss due to corrosion. Live load effects, of a single wheel pair positioned over the culvert crown at the ground surface, on the pipe mechanical response was examined with respect to a variation in the culvert burial depth and wall thickness reduction due to corrosion. The analysis included assessment of the culvert strength behaviour and deformation mechanisms.
Finite Element Analysis of Deteriorated Corrugated Metal Pipe (Nakhostin et al., 2017 GeoOttawa-447)