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

Abstract

Three-hinge precast arch culverts have been constructed as laborsaving equipment mainly along the highways in Japan since the 1990s. However, many of them suffered damage in the Great East Japan earthquake (11 March 2011), including severe damage like the deformation of the wall at the culvert mouth and the displacement of hinges. This damage occurred near the mouth of culverts installed in embankments at an oblique angle with an asymmetrical overburden. In this study, dynamic centrifuge tests are conducted on a three-hinge type of arch culvert with asymmetrical overburden pressure, and the behavior is monitored in the longitudinal direction in order to observe the reported deformation at the mouth wall and at the hinge sections. According to the results, uneven overburden along the cross section of the arch causes uneven distributions of the axial forces and the bending moments in the culvert mouth. This unevenness indicates that the combination of the orientation of the culvert and the seismic wave direction is likely to cause torsion, aperture, and other damage to the culvert arch members.