Live Load Design of

Concrete Pipe
Outline
• Critical Items
• Comparison of AASHTO Methods
• Testing and Research
• Latest Information
Live Load Distribution Factor – A Critical Item
• AASHTO Standard Spec
• 1.75
• AASHTO LRFD Initially
• 1.15 or 1.0
• AASHTO LRFD
Currently
• 1.15 up to 24 inch ID
• 1.75 for 96 inch ID and
above
• Linear Interpolation in
between these sizes
Distribution Through the Pipe – A Critical Item
• Industry
• 1.3125 x OD
• AASHTO
• Previously
• No Comment
• Currently
• 0.06 x ID
Current Designs Based On:
• NCHRP Report 647, “Recommended Design
Specifications for Live Load Distribution to Buried
Structures”
• “The results of the comparison of predictions from
computer models with data from actual field test was
often poor; extenuating circumstances are discussed in
Section 2.1.3.”
Constant Change (D-Loads – lbs/ft/ft)
Type 2 Installation
Depth (ft) Code Pipe Inside Diameter (in)
12 36 60
1 Standard Spec 1161 761 671

LRFD 1998 1700 850 800

LRFD 2014 1492 1244 948
2 Standard Spec 667 557 530
LRFD 1998 1050 700 675
LRFD 2014 1322 1137 875
Industry Testing
• Participants
• Forterra (formerly Hanson Precast Products)
• Rinker Materials
• Oldcastle Precast
• Forterra (formerly Cretex Companies Inc.)
• County Materials Corp. (formerly Independent Concrete
Pipe Company)
• Scurlock Industries
10 Rigid Rugged Resilient
Distribution Through Pipe

Coeffm = 14500 Do-1.58+0.755

CoeffI = 242 Do-1.97+0.855

 Moment from Live Load –
Bedding Factor Old/Proposed

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 Moment from Live Load –
Bedding Factor
CURRENT

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 Comparison Table
Type 2 Installation
Depth (ft) Code Pipe Inside Diameter (in)
12 36 60
1 LRFD 1998 1700 850 800

LRFD 2014 1492 1244 948

Proposed 1659 920 998
2 LRFD 1998 1050 700 675
LRFD 2014 1322 1137 875
Proposed 993 749 717
 NCHRP 20-7, Task 316

15 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 NCHRP 20-07, Task 316
Moments at the Crown From a 24.7 kip wheel load
Diameter (in) Depth (ft) LRFD 2007 LRFD 2013 Test
(in-kips/ft) (in-kips/ft) (in-kips/ft)
24 4 5.8 5.8 2.3

24 2 17.0 17.0 6.0

24 1 29.4 29.4 10.1

48 4 18.9 16.8 5.3

48 2 36.9 33.5 11.6

48 1 56.9 53.1 18.5

16 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Moments at the Crown From a 24.7 kip wheel load
Diameter (in) Depth (ft) LRFD 2013 Test Proposed
(in-kips/ft) (in-kips/ft) (in-kips/ft)
24 4 5.7 2.3 5.1

24 2 9.9 6.0 7.3

24 1 17.5 10.1 9.1

48 4 20.3 5.3 17.2

48 2 26.0 11.6 18.3

48 1 46.5 18.5 22.6

17 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Standard LRFD

H = 1 ft

𝑙𝑙𝑡𝑡 𝑙𝑙𝑡𝑡
𝑙𝑙𝑤𝑤 = + 1.75𝐻𝐻 𝑙𝑙𝑤𝑤 = + 1.15𝐻𝐻
12 12
lw = 2.58 ft lw = 1.98 ft

18 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Live Load

24 inch RCP at 1 foot – LLDF = 1.75 and 1.15

Load Angle = 180 Load Angle = 98

Bf = 2.2 Bf = 1.9
 Revised Live Load Bedding Factors
Height Pipe Diameter (inches)
of Fill
feet 12 24 36 48 60 72 84
0.5 2.1 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1
2.2 1.7 1.3
1.0 2.2 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.3
2.2 1.7
1.5 2.2 2.2 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.4
2.1 1.8
2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.5
2.2 2.0 1.8
2.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.7
2.2 2.0 1.8
3.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.8
2.2 2.2
3.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 1.9
2.2
4.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0
2.2 2.1

20 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Using Revised Bedding Factors

Moments at the Crown From a 24.7 kip wheel load

Diameter (in) Depth (ft) LRFD 2013 Test Proposed
(in-kips/ft) (in-kips/ft) (in-kips/ft)
24 4 5.7 2.3 5.1

24 2 9.9 6.0 7.3

24 1 17.5 10.1 10.4

48 4 20.3 5.3 17.2

48 2 26.0 11.6 18.3

48 1 46.5 18.5 22.6

21 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Lw

CL value

CL < 1

Lw

CL = 1
22 Rigid Rugged Resilient
 CL Value
• Plastic Pipe • Metal Pipe

23 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Box Culvert Shear
Design
For Fills Equal to or Greater Than 2 feet

24 Rigid Rugged Resilient

25 Rigid Rugged Resilient
Equation for Beta
Crack Spacing Parameter
Moment at the Location Being
Checked for Shear
 Crack Spacing Parameter

Add:

sxe = the incorporation of the effect of maximum aggregate size into the
crack spacing parameter. The requirement that sxe equal or exceed
12 inches need not apply to slabs.
 Limit sxe to 12 inches?

31 Rigid Rugged Resilient

Moment at the Location Being
Checked for Shear
• Add:

• In continuous slabs not containing prestressing, the

value of |Mu| for the location being analyzed may be
utilized without consideration of the
|Mu|min = |Vu – Vp|dv limitation.
 Why the Vu x dv requirement?

Tension Face

Compression Face

If Mv = 0, and Nv = 0

Tension in the Entire Element

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 β versus Span

34 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 β versus ρ (depth limit removed)

35 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 β versus ρ (no limit)

36 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Behavior and Strength in Shear of
Beams and Frames Without Web
Reinforcement
Roger Diaz De Cossio and Chester P. Seiss

“A study of the test results in Table 3 and 4 reveals also that shear capacity is
roughly a linear function of tensile steel percentage.”

37 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 De Cossio Equation for Shear

38 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 5.14.5.3 Method

39 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 5.8.3 With No Restrictions

40 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Minimum Mu Required?

41 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 Why the Minimum Mu?

42 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 What Has Been Implied?
• The minimum value of sx should be removed, or at
least reduced to 5 inches.
• Relative Agreement
• The requirement that Mu be not less than Vu*dv
should be removed, at least for frames/continuous
members
• Additional discussion required

43 Rigid Rugged Resilient

 The End
jbeakley@concretepipe.org

44 Rigid Rugged Resilient

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