Experimental study on seismic resistance of a two-hinge precast arch culvert using strong earthquake response simulator

Abstract

The design of traditional culvert structures in Japan has not considered seismic stability, because such structures have not suffered terrible damage in past earthquakes. In recent years, however, the construction of precast arch culverts, which include hinges in the main body and are outside the range of conventional culverts, has been increasing. In this study, large-scale shaking table test using a strong earthquake response simulator was conducted to clarify the seismic behavior of a two-hinge precast arch culvert. Furthermore, the inner space displacement and the earth pressure of the culvert were measured in each construction stage. From the results, it was found that the seismic response of the culvert is governed by the shear deformation of surrounding soil; and thus, a seismic deformation method will be probably applicable to the aseismic design. However, the modification mode of the component did not change according to the banking height and the culvert did not behave as expected in the construction stage.