PREDICTING PERFORMANCE OF BURIED METAL PIPE ARCHES.

The effects of the state of compaction of the soil backfill and of inclusions around the haunches on the fundamental response characteristics of closed pipe arches are summarized. Typical results of finite-element analyses presented in this paper include (a) the deflected shape of the conduit and (b) the distributions of thrust, bending moment, and soil pressure on the conduit wall. Finally, the results are compared with some design recommendations from the American Iron and Steel Institute handbook.