Experimental Study on the Dynamic Impacts of Service Train Loads on a Corrugated Steel Plate Culvert

The technical note presents the results and conclusions of the field tests under service loads that were conducted on a corrugated steel plate (CSP) railway culvert. On the basis of the measured displacements, use of the frequency domain decomposition method determined the frequencies of this culvert. Interferometric radar was used to monitor displacements of this culvert. The comparison between dynamic coefficients, received from three bridge standards and the experimental dynamic amplification factor (DAF), is also presented. The DAFs from tests were in the range of 1.10-1.375. The frequencies of the CSP culvert, caused by kinematic excitations, did not exceed 5.5 Hz. In turn, the maximum displacements of the CSP railway culvert ranged from 0.08 x 10(-3) to 0.65 x 10(-3) m. Conclusions drawn from the tests can be helpful in the assessment of the dynamic behavior of such CSP culverts. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0000395. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.