Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Method to Estimate Lateral Earth Pressure on High-Filled Cut-and-Cover Tunnels

  • Tunnel Engineering
  • Published:
KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

High-filled cut-and-cover tunnels (HFCCTs) can be used in northwestern China to reclaim usable land. Because of the ultra-high backfill used in HFCCTs, the stress on the cut-and-cover tunnel (CCT) will change. However, The calculation method adopted at present for earth pressure usually result in either overestimation or underestimation. Different from vertical earth pressure, lateral earth pressure (LEP) can help stabilize the structure of HFCCTs. The current methods for estimating LEP rely mainly on Rankine’s theory or empirical formulas. Using conventional methods has led to errors between actual values and estimated values, and such deviation increases with an increase in the backfill height over the CCT. Due to the complex soil-arching effect, the current methods used for calculating LEP for HFCCTs need to be modified. These modifications need to consider characteristics of the CCT, mechanical properties of the backfill soil, and the geometry of the landform. In this work, several influential factors were identified through numerical analysis using the finite element method and propose four corresponding coefficients of modification: k0, the cross-sectional shape of the CCT; k1, the mechanical properties of the backfill; k2, the width of the CCT; and k3, the coupled effect of the slope angle and ratio of the width of the valley floor to the width of the CCT. Because current methods and specifications may overestimate the LEP for HFCCTs in valleys, a general equation was formulated for modifying the LEP coefficient. Also, this general modification equation was verified that agrees well with the numerical analysis results for different cases.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AASHTO (2010) AASHTO standard specifications for highway bridges. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Abuhajar O, El Naggar H, Newson T (2015a) Static soil culvert interaction the effect of box culvert geometric configuration and soil properties. Computers and Geotechnics 69:219–235, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2015.05.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abuhajar O, Newson T, El Naggar H (2015b) Scaled physical and numerical modelling of static soil pressures on box culverts. Canadian Geotechnical Journal 52(11):1637–1648, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2014-0493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bang S (1985) Active earth pressure behind retaining walls. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering 111(3):407–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett RM, Wood SM, Drumm EC, Rainwater NR (2005) Vertical loads on concrete box culverts under high embankments. Journal of Bridge Engineering 10(6):643–649, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1084-0702(2005)10:6(643)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canadian Standards Association (2006) Commentary on the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC). Mississauga, Canada

  • Chen BG, Sun L (2014) Performance of a reinforced concrete box culvert installed in trapezoidal trenches. Journal of Bridge Engineering 19(1):120–130, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0000494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen BG, Zheng JJ, Han J (2010) Experimental study and numerical simulation on concrete box culverts in trenches. Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities 24(3):223–234, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000098

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • China Communications Construction Company Highway Consultants Co., Ltd. (2015) General specifications for design of highway bridges and culverts. China Communications Construction Company Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., Beijing, China (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • China Railway Design Corporation (2017) Code for design on railway bridges and culvert. China Railway Design Corporation, Beijing, China (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (2017) Code for design of railway tunnel. China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., Beijing, China (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke NWB (1967) The loads imposed on conduits laid under embankments or valley fills. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 36:63–98, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1680/iicep.1967.8591

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dasgupta A, Sengupta B (1991) Large-scale model test on square box culvert backfilled with sand. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering 117(1):156–161, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9410(1991)117:1(156)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Taher M, Moore ID (2008) Finite element study of stability of corroded metal culverts. Transportation Research Record 2050(1):157–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gu AQ (1981) Investigation of the vertical earth pressure on projecting conduit and underground chamber under a high embankment. Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering 3(1):3–15 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • JTG 3370.1-2018 (2018) Specifications for design of highway tunnels section Sec1 civil engineering. JTG 3370.1-2018, Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing, China (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamiloğlu HA, şadoğlu E (2017) Active earth thrust theory for horizontal granular backfill on a cantilever wall with a short heel. International Journal of Geomechanics 17(8):04017018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang J, Parker F, Kang YJ, Yoo C (2008) Effects of fictional forces acting on sidewalls of buried box culverts. International Journal of Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics 32:289–306, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.628

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katona MG, Vittes PD (1982) Soil-structure analysis and evaluation of buried box-culvert designs. 61st annual meeting of the transportation research board, January 18–22, Washington, DC, USA

  • Katona MG, Vittes PD, Lee CH, Ho HT (1981) CANDE-1980: Box culverts and soil models. No. FHWA/RD80/172, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim K, Yoo CH (2005) Design loading on deeply buried box culverts. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 131(1):20–27, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2005)131:1(20)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Ma L, Ho IH, Wang QC, Yu BT, Zhou P (2019) Modification of vertical earth pressure formulas for high fill cut-and-cover tunnels using experimental and numerical methods. Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2019:1–19, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8257157

    Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Ma L, Wang QC, Li JX, Li WW, Zhang YJ (2016) Calculation method and influencing factors for earth pressure of high fill open cut tunnel. China Railway Science 37(5):41–49 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li YG, Zhang SY (2008) Experimental and theoretical study on earth pressure on top of rectangular trench-buried culverts. Chinese Rock and Soil Mechanics 29(4):1081–1086 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Luo LS, Zhang P (2014) Preliminary study on load of high fill open cut tunnel. High Speed Railway Technology 5(3):90–93 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Marston A (1930) The theory of external loads on closed conduits in the light of the latest experiments. Bulletin No. 96, Iowa Engineering Experiment Station, Ames, IA, USA

  • Marston A, Anderson AO (1913) The theory of loads on pipes in ditch and tests of cement and clay drain tile and sever pipe. Bulletin No. 31, Iowa Engineering Experiment Station, Ames, IA, USA

  • McGuigan BL, Valsangkar AJ (2010) Centrifuge testing and numerical analysis of box culverts installed in induced trenches. Canadian Geotechnical Journal 47(2):147–163, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/T09-085

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGuigan BL, Valsangkar AJ (2011) Earth pressures on twin positive projecting and induced trench box culverts under high embankments. Canadian Geotechnical Journal 48(2):173–185, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/T10-058

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mei GX, Chen QM, Song LH (2009) Model for predicting displacement-dependent lateral earth pressure. Canadian Geotechnical Journal 46(8):969–975

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ni P, Mangalathu S, Song L, Mei G, Zhao Y (2018a) Displacement-dependent lateral earth pressure models. Journal of Engineering Mechanics 144(6):04018032

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ni P, Mei G, Zhao Y (2017) Displacement-dependent earth pressures on rigid retaining walls with compressible geofoam inclusions: Physical modeling and analytical solutions. International Journal of Geomechanics 17(6):04016132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ni P, Song L, Mei G, Zhao Y (2018b) On predicting displacement-dependent earth pressures for laterally loaded piles. Soils and Foundations 58(1):85–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Penman ADM, Charles JA, Nash JKTL, Humphreys JD (1975) Performance of culvert under Winscar dam. Geotechnique 25(4):713–730, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1975.25.4.713

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimentel M, Costa P, Félix C, Figueiras J (2009) Behavior of reinforced concrete box culverts under high embankments. Journal of Structural Engineering 135(4):366–375, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2009)135:4(366)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spangler MG (1948) Underground conduits — An appraisal of modern research. Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers 113(1):316–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun L, Hopkins TC, Beckham T (2006) Load reduction by Geofoam for culvert extension: Numerical analysis. GeoCongress 2006, February 26–March 1, Atlanta, GA, USA

  • Tadros MK, Benak JV, Gilliland MK (1989) Soil pressure on box culverts. ACI Structural Journal 86(4):439–450

    Google Scholar 

  • Tian JB, Chen K, Han XL, Shi QX, Xu SY, Hao H (2014) Experimental research on circumjacent earth pressure on coal handling conduit under high earth-fill. Rock and Soil Mechanics 35(6):1679–1686 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang XW, Zhang YX (2005) Study on arch action and earth pressure theory for culverts under high embankment. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Engineering 24(21):3887–3893 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng JJ, Chen BG, Zhang SB (2008) Experimental investigation and numerical simulation of nonlinear earth pressure for trench-buried culverts. Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering 30(12):1771–1777 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (51668036, 51868041), General Projects of Scientific Research for High Schools in Gansu (2017A-111), the Program of Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT_15R29), Support Program Funding of Collaborative Innovation Technology Team in Gansu Province (2017C-08), and Projects of Excellent Research Teams at Lanzhou Jiaotong University (201606), China, as well as the Energy Geomechanics Laboratory at the University of North Dakota, USA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Civil Engineering, Lanzhou Institute of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China

    Li Ma

  2. Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, 58202, USA

    I-Hsuan Ho

  3. College of Civil Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, China

    Sheng Li, Qicai Wang & Bentian Yu

Authors
  1. Li Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sheng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. I-Hsuan Ho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Qicai Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bentian Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to I-Hsuan Ho.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ma, L., Li, S., Ho, IH. et al. Method to Estimate Lateral Earth Pressure on High-Filled Cut-and-Cover Tunnels. KSCE J Civ Eng 24, 975–987 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-020-1060-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-020-1060-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation