Dynamic behavior of three-hinge type precast arch culverts installed in embankment with asymmetrical overburden in culvert longitudinal direction

Abstract

Many three-hinge-type precast arch culverts suffered damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake (11 March 2011), which highlighted the importance of the elucidation of their seismic behavior. The degree of damage to the culverts appeared to be closely related to the seismic wave motions in the culvert longitudinal direction. Particularly severe damage, such as mouth wall deformation and damage to arch members, seems to have been caused mainly by asymmetrical embankment loading in the culvert longitudinal direction. Thus, in order to clarify the mechanisms behind these seismic damage patterns, centrifuge tests on model culverts with three-hinge-type construction and various embankment shapes were conducted here, and the behavior in the longitudinal direction was observed. As a result, it was clarified that the response acceleration of culverts located near a mouth wall with shallow embankment cover gets amplified and exceeds that of the surrounding embankment due to the decreased constraining effect of the embankment overburden.