Standard Specification for Precast Reinforced Concrete Box

Sections for Culverts, Storm Drains, and Sewers

AASHTO Designation: M 259-11 (2015)1,2171

Technical Section: 4a, Concrete Drainage Structures

Release: Group 2 (June 2017)

ASTM Designation: C789-95a

1. SCOPE

1.1. This specification covers single-cell precast reinforced concrete box sections intended to be
used for the construction of culverts and for the conveyance of storm water, industrial
wastes, and sewage.

1.2. A complete metric companion to M 259 has been developed—M 259M; therefore, no metric
equivalents are presented in this specification.

Note 1—This specification is primarily a manufacturing and purchasing specification.

However, standard designs are included and the criteria used to develop these designs are
given in the Appendixes. The successful performance of this product depends on the proper
selection of the box section, bedding, and backfill, and care that the installation conforms to
the construction specifications. The owner of the precast reinforced concrete box sections
specified herein is cautioned that the loading conditions and the field requirements must
properly correlate with the box section specified and that inspection at the construction site
must be provided.

Note 2—M 273 is to be used for box sections with less than 2 ft of cover subjected to
highway loading.

Note 3—If load-and-resistance factor design (LRFD) is required, then use ASTM C1577.

2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS

2.1. AASHTO Standards:

◾ M 6, Fine Aggregate for Hydraulic Cement Concrete
◾ M 32M/M 32, Steel Wire, Plain, for Concrete Reinforcement
◾ M 55M/M 55, Steel Welded Wire Reinforcement, Plain, for Concrete
◾ M 80, Coarse Aggregate for Hydraulic Cement Concrete
◾ M 85, Portland Cement
◾ M 154M/M 154, Air-Entraining Admixtures for Concrete
◾ M 157, Ready-Mixed Concrete
◾ M 221M/M 221, Steel Welded Wire Reinforcement, Deformed, for Concrete
◾ M 225M/M 225, Steel Wire, Deformed, for Concrete Reinforcement
◾ M 240M/M 240, Blended Hydraulic Cement
◾ M 262, Concrete Pipe and Related Products
◾ M 273, Precast Reinforced Concrete Box Sections for Culverts, Storm Drains, and Sewers
with Less Than 2 ft of Cover Subjected to Highway Loadings
◾ M 295, Coal Fly Ash and Raw or Calcined Natural Pozzolan for Use in Concrete
◾ T 280, Concrete Pipe, Manhole Sections, or Tile
◾ Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges
2.2. ASTM Standards:
◾ C309-03, Standard Specification for Liquid Membrane-Forming Compounds for Curing
Concrete
◾ C1116/C1116M, Standard Specification for Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
◾ C1577, Standard Specification for Precast Reinforced Concrete Monolithic Box Sections for
Culverts, Storm Drains, and Sewers Designed According to AASHTO LRFD

2.3. ACI Code:

◾ ACI 318-71, Building Code

3. TERMINOLOGY

3.1. Definitions—For definitions of terms relating to concrete pipe, see M 262.

4. TYPES

4.1. Precast reinforced concrete box sections manufactured in accordance with this specification
shall be of three types identified in Tables 1, 2, and 3, and shall be designated by type,
span, rise, and design earth cover.

Table 1—Design Requirements for Precast Concrete Box Sections under Earth Dead and HS20 Live Load
Conditionsa
Table 2—Design Requirements for Precast Concrete Box Sections under Earth Dead and Interstate Live
Load Conditionsa
Table 3—Design Requirements for Precast Concrete Box Sections under Earth Dead Load Conditionsa
5. BASIS OF ACCEPTANCE

5.1. Acceptability of the box sections produced in accordance with Section 7 shall be determined
by the results of the concrete compressive strength tests described in Section 10, by the
material requirements described in Section 6, and by inspection of the finished box
sections.

5.2. Box sections shall be considered ready for acceptance when they conform to the
requirements of this specification.

6. MATERIALS

6.1. Reinforced Concrete—The reinforced concrete shall consist of cementitious materials,

mineral aggregates, and water in which steel has been embedded in such a manner that
the steel and concrete act together.

6.2. Cementitious Materials:

6.2.1. Cement—Cement shall conform to the requirements for portland cement of M 85 or shall be
portland blast-furnace slag cement or portland-pozzolan cement conforming to the
requirements of M 240M/M 240, except that the pozzolan constituent in the Type IP
portland-pozzolan cement shall be fly ash and shall not exceed 25 percent by weight.

6.2.2. Fly Ash—Fly ash shall conform to the requirements of M 295, Class F or Class C.
6.2.3. Allowable Combinations of Cementitious Materials—The combination of cementitious
materials used in the concrete shall be one of the following:

6.2.3.1. Portland cement only,

6.2.3.2. Portland blast-furnace slag cement only,

6.2.3.3. Portland-pozzolan cement only, or

6.2.3.4. A combination of portland cement and fly ash wherein the proportion of fly ash is between
5 and 25 percent by weight of total cementitious materials (portland cement plus fly ash).

6.3. Aggregates—Aggregates shall conform to M 6 and M 80, except that the requirements for
gradation shall not apply.
6.4. Admixtures and Blends—Admixtures and blends may be used with the approval of the
owner.

6.5. Steel Reinforcement—Reinforcement shall consist of welded wire fabric conforming to M

55M/M 55 or M 221M/M 221.

6.6. Synthetic Fibers—Collated fibrillated virgin polypropylene fibers may be used, at the owner's
option, in concrete pipe as a nonstructural manufacturing material. Only Type III synthetic
fibers designed and manufactured specifically for use in concrete and conforming to the
requirements of ASTM C1116/C1116M shall be accepted.

6.7. Water—Mix water shall conform with M 157, Section 4.1.4, with a maximum limit of 0.15
percent chloride.

7. DESIGN

7.1. Design Tables—The box section dimensions, compressive strength of the concrete, and
reinforcement details shall be as prescribed in Tables 1, 2, or 3 and Figures 1, 2, and 3,
subject to the provisions of Section 11. Table 1 sections are designed for combined earth
dead load and AASHTO HS20 live load conditions. Table 2 sections are designed for
combined earth dead load and interstate live load conditions when the interstate live
loading exceeds the HS20 live loading. Table 3 sections are designed for earth dead load
conditions only. Criteria used to develop Tables 1, 2, and 3 are given in Appendix X1. For
modifications to the designs shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3 due to anticipated earth and
surcharge loads different from those used to develop the tables, see Appendix X2.
Figure 1—Typical Box Section

Figure 2—Section A-A Top and Bottom Slab Joint Reinforcement

7.2. Modified and Special Designs—The manufacturer may request approval by the owner of
modified designs that differ from the designs in Section 7; or special designs for sizes and
loads other than those shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3.

Note 4—The tabular designs in this specification were prepared according to AASHTO's
Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, Eleventh Edition, 1973. The current AASHTO
Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges allows concrete shear stress criteria that differ
from the 1973 criteria. The use of current AASHTO concrete shear stress criteria shall be
acceptable by this specification for modified or special designs.

7.3. Placement of Reinforcement—The cover of concrete over the circumferential reinforcement

shall be 1 in., subject to the provisions of Section 11. The inside circumferential
reinforcement shall extend into the male portion of the joint and the outside circumferential
reinforcement shall extend into the female portion of the joint. The clear distance of the
end circumferential wires shall be not less than 1/2 in. or more than 2 in. from the ends of
the box section. Reinforcement shall be assembled utilizing any combination of single or
multiple layers of welded wire fabric. A common reinforcement unit may be utilized for both
As2 (or As3) and As4, with the largest area requirement governing, bending the
reinforcement 90 degrees at the corners and waiving the extension requirements of Figure
3. See Figure 4. The welded wire fabric shall be composed of circumferential and
longitudinal wires meeting the spacing requirements of Section 7.4 and shall contain
sufficient longitudinal wires extending through the box section to maintain the shape and
position of reinforcement. The exposure of the ends of longitudinals, stirrups, and spacers
used to position the reinforcement shall not be a cause for rejection.
Figure 3—Detail Inner Reinforcement

Figure 4—Detail Option

7.4. Laps, Welds, and Spacing—Splices in the circumferential reinforcement shall be made by
lapping. The overlap measured between the outermost longitudinal wires of each fabric
sheet shall not be less than the spacing of the longitudinal wires plus 2 in. If As1 is
extended and connected, welded splices shall be allowed in the connection. As4 may be
lapped and welded at any location or connected by welding at the corners to As2 and As3.
The spacing center-to-center of the circumferential wires shall not be less than 2 in. or
more than 4 in. The spacing center-to-center of the longitudinal wires shall not be more
than 8 in.
8. JOINTS

8.1. The precast reinforced concrete box sections shall be produced with male and female ends.
The ends shall be of such design and the ends of the box sections so formed that the
sections can be laid together to make a continuous line of box sections compatible with the
permissible variations given in Section 11.

8.2. Outer cage circumferential reinforcement as shown in Figures 1 and 2 shall be placed in the
top and bottom slabs at the female portion of the joint when As1 is not continuous over the
span. The minimum area of such reinforcement in square inches per linear foot of box
section length shall be the same as the areas specified for As4 in Tables 1, 2, and 3.

9. MANUFACTURE

9.1. Mixture—The aggregates shall be sized, graded, proportioned, and mixed with such
proportions of cementitious materials and water as will produce a homogeneous concrete
mixture of such quality that the box section will conform to the test and design
requirements of this specification. All concrete shall have a water-cementitious materials
ratio not exceeding 0.53 by weight. Cementitious materials shall be as specified in Section
6.2 and shall be added to the mix in a proportion not less than 470 lb/yd3 unless mix
designs with a lower cementitious materials content demonstrate that the quality and
performance of the pipe meet the requirements of this specification.

9.2. Curing—The box sections shall be cured for a sufficient length of time so that the concrete
will develop the specified compressive strength in 28 days or less. Any one of the following
methods of curing or combinations thereof may be used:

9.2.1. Steam Curing—The box sections may be low-pressure steam cured by a system that will
maintain a moist atmosphere.

9.2.2. Water Curing—The box sections may be water cured by any method that will keep the
sections moist.

9.2.3. Membrane Curing—A sealing membrane conforming to the requirements of ASTM C309-03
may be applied and shall be left intact until the required concrete compressive strength is
attained. The concrete temperature at the time of application shall be within 10°F of the
atmospheric temperature. All surfaces shall be kept moist prior to the application of the
compounds and shall be damp when the compound is applied.

9.3. Forms—The forms used in manufacture shall be sufficiently rigid and accurate to maintain
the box section dimensions within the permissible variations given in Section 11. All casting
surfaces shall be of smooth nonporous material.

9.4. Handling—Handling devices or holes shall be permitted in each box section for the purpose
of handling and laying.

10. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

10.1. Type of Specimen—Compression tests for determining concrete compressive strength may
be made on either concrete cylinders or on cores drilled from the box section.

10.2. Compression Testing of Cylinders:

10.2.1. Cylinder Production—Cylinders shall be prepared in accordance with the Cylinder Strength
Test Method of T 280.

10.2.2. Number of Cylinders—Prepare not fewer than five test cylinders from a group (one day's
production of each concrete strength) of box sections.
10.2.3. Acceptability on the Basis of Cylinder Test Results:
10.2.3.1. When the compressive strengths of all cylinders tested for a group are equal to or greater
than the design concrete strength, the compressive strength in the group of box sections
shall be accepted.

10.2.3.2. When the average compressive strength of all cylinders tested is equal to or greater than
the design concrete strength, not more than 10 percent of the cylinders tested have a
compressive strength less than the design concrete strength, and no cylinder tested has a
compressive strength less than 80 percent of the design concrete strength, then the
compressive strength of the concrete in the group of box sections shall be accepted.

10.2.3.3. When the compressive strength of the cylinders tested does not conform to the acceptance
criteria stated in Section 10.2.3.1 or Section 10.2.3.2, the acceptability of the group shall be
determined in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.3.

10.3. Compression Testing of Cores:

10.3.1. Obtaining Cores—Cores shall be obtained and prepared in accordance with the Core
Strength Test Method of T 280.

10.3.2. Number of Cores—One core shall be taken from a box section selected at random from
each group of 15 box sections of a single size or fraction of such a group from each
continuous production run.

10.4. Acceptability on the Basis of Core Test Results:

10.4.1. When the compressive strengths of cores tested for a group of box sections is equal to or
greater than the design concrete strength, the compressive strength of the concrete for the
group is acceptable.

10.4.2. If the compressive strength of the core tested is less than the design concrete strength, the
box section from which that core was taken may be re-cored. If the compressive strength
of the re-core is equal to or greater than the design concrete compressive strength, the
compressive strength of the concrete for the group is acceptable.

10.4.3. If the compressive strength of the re-core is less than the design concrete strength, the box
section from which the core was taken shall be rejected. Two box sections from the
remainder of the group shall be selected at random and one core shall be taken from each
box section. If the compressive strength of both cores is equal to or greater than the design
concrete compressive strength, the concrete compressive strength of the remainder of the
group shall be acceptable. If the compressive strength of either of the two cores tested is
less than the design concrete compressive strength, then the remainder of the group shall
be either rejected or, at the option of the manufacturer, each box section of the remainder
of the group shall be cored and accepted individually, and any of the box sections that have
a core with less than the design concrete compressive strength shall be rejected.

10.5. Plugging Core Holes—The core holes shall be plugged and sealed by the manufacturer in a
manner such that the box section will meet all of the test requirements of this specification.
Box sections so sealed shall be considered satisfactory for use.

10.6. Test Equipment—Every manufacturer furnishing box sections under this specification shall
furnish all facilities and personnel necessary to carry out the tests required.

11. PERMISSIBLE VARIATIONS

11.1. Internal Dimensions—The internal dimensions shall not vary more than 1 percent from the
design dimensions. The haunch dimensions shall not vary more than 1/4 in. from the design
dimensions.
11.2. Slab and Wall Thickness—The slab and wall thickness shall not be less than that shown in
the design by more than 5 percent or 3/16 in., whichever is greater. A thickness more than
that required in the design shall not be a cause for rejection.

11.3. Length of Opposite Surfaces—Variations in laying lengths of two opposite surfaces of the
box section shall not be more than 1/8 in./ft of internal span, with a maximum of 5/8 in. for
all sizes through a 7-ft internal span, and a maximum of 3/4 in. for internal spans greater
than 7 ft, except where beveled ends for laying on curves are specified by the owner.

11.4. Length of Section—The underrun in length of a section shall not be more than 1/8 in./ft of
length with a maximum of 1/2 in. in any box section.

11.5. Position of Reinforcement—The maximum variation in the position of the reinforcement for
5 in. or less slab and wall thicknesses shall be ±3/8 in., and for greater than 5-in. slab and
wall thicknesses shall be ±1/2 in. In no case, however, shall the cover over the
reinforcement be less than 5/8 in., as measured to the internal surface or the external
surface. The preceding minimum cover limitation does not apply at the mating surfaces of
the joint.

11.6. Area of Reinforcement—The areas of steel reinforcement shall be the design steel areas as
shown in Tables 1, 2, or 3. Steel areas greater than those required shall not be cause for
rejection. The permissible variation in diameter of any wire in finished fabric shall conform
to the tolerances prescribed for the wire before fabrication by either M 32M/M 32 or M
225M/M 225 as applicable.

12. REPAIRS

12.1. Box sections may be repaired, if necessary, because of imperfections in manufacture or

handling damage and will be acceptable if, in the opinion of the owner, the repaired box
section conforms to the requirements of this specification.

13. INSPECTION

13.1. The quality of materials, the process of manufacture, and the finished box sections shall be
subject to inspection by the owner.

14. REJECTION

14.1. Box sections shall be subject to rejection if they fail to conform to any of the specification
requirements. Individual box sections may be rejected because of any of the following:

14.1.1. Fractures or cracks passing through the wall, except for a single-end crack that does not
exceed the depth of the joint.

14.1.2. Defects that indicate mixing and molding not in compliance with Section 9.1, or
honeycombed or open texture that would adversely affect the function of the box sections.

14.1.3. The ends of the box sections are not normal to the walls and centerline of the box section,
within the limits of variations given in Section 11, except where beveled ends are specified.

14.1.4. Damaged ends, where such damage would prevent making a satisfactory joint.
15. MARKING

15.1. The following information shall be clearly marked on each box section by indentation,
waterproof paint, or other approved means:
15.1.1. Box section span, rise, table number, maximum and minimum design earth cover, and
specification designation;

15.1.2. Date of manufacture;

15.1.3. Name or trademark of the manufacturer; and

15.1.4. Each section shall be clearly marked by indentation on either the inner or outer surface
during the process of manufacture so that the location of the top will be evident
immediately after the forms are stripped. In addition, the word “top” shall be lettered with
waterproof paint on the inside top surface.

16. KEYWORDS

16.1. Concrete box,precast; culvert.

APPENDIXES
(Nonmandatory Information)

X1. DESIGN CRITERIA USED TO DEVELOP TABLES 1, 2, AND 3

X1.1. Bedding and Backfill Assumptions:

X1.1.1. The bedding is assumed to provide a slightly yielding, uniformly distributed support over
the bottom width of the box section.

X1.1.2. The design earth covers and reinforcement areas are based on the weight of a column of
earth over the width of the box section.

X1.1.3. Refer to Appendix X2 for other bedding and backfill conditions.

X1.2. Criteria for Loads:

X1.2.1. Design loads are based on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO) Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, Thirteenth Edition, 1983.

X1.2.2. Live loads for designs given in Table 1 are HS20 truck wheel loads as defined in the
AASHTO Bridge Specifications. Live loads for designs given in Table 2 are either the HS20
truck wheel loads, or interstate truck wheel loads as defined in U.S. Department of
Commerce, Bureau of Public Roads Circular Memorandum 22-40, 22 April 1957, depending
on whichever produces the more severe design strength requirements. Distribution of truck
wheel loads through earth fills is in accordance with Article 1.3.3 of the AASHTO Bridge
Specifications. Earth cover loads for designs given in Tables 1, 2, and 3 are the weight of a
column of earth of a width equal to the outside width dimension of the box section and a
height equal to the depth of earth cover over the top of the section. This earth load is
recommended in Article 1.2.2 (A) of the AASHTO Bridge Specifications for the normal case
of box culverts on “yielding” subgrade. The AASHTO Bridge Specifications define an
“unyielding” subgrade as “rock or piles” and require the use of the Iowa formulas for this
case. See Appendix X2 for a method to modify the designs given in Tables 1, 2, and 3 when
 the anticipated earth load, or earth load plus uniformly distributed surface surcharge load,
is greater (or less) than the weight of the column of earth directly above the out-to-out
width of the box sections.

X1.2.3. Article 1.2.2 of the AASHTO Bridge Specifications allows the design of buried structures,
such as box section culverts, for 70 percent of the weight of earth directly above the out-to-
out width of the structure. On the other hand, the Marston-Spangler theory of earth loads
on buried pipe gives a total earth load greater than the weight of the column of earth
directly over the structure for most “positive projecting” culverts, and less than the weight
of the column of earth over the structure for “trench type” installations, “negative
projecting” culverts, and “induced trench” culverts. In view of the number of different
installation conditions that may be encountered and the use of higher reinforcing steel
stresses associated with the ultimate strength design method (Section X1.2), the 30 percent
reduction in weight of supported earth load permitted in Article 1.2.2 of the AASHTO Bridge
Specifications is not utilized for the tabulated designs, and a method of modifying designs
for anticipated earth loads that differs from the above described “standard earth load” is
given in Appendix X2.
Figure X1.1—Axle Loads for Box Section Standard Designs

X1.2.4. Lateral earth pressure from weight of earth above and adjacent to a box section is taken as
a minimum of 0.25 times vertical pressure, and an additional 0.25 times vertical pressure is
added when determining steel areas only when areas are increased by such increased
lateral pressure. For Tables 1 and 2, additional lateral pressure in lbf/ft2 from approaching
truck wheel loads is taken as 700 divided by depth of earth cover in feet and is added when
determining steel areas only at sections where area is increased by increased lateral
pressure.

X1.3. Methods of Analysis:

X1.3.1. The structural effects of the loads described in Section X1.2 are evaluated based on the
elastic method of structural analysis. Design moments, shears, and thrusts are determined
by computer analysis using the stiffness matrix method, and design is based on maximum
stress resultants at critical sections caused by the most severe combination of design loads.

X1.4. Method of Design:

X1.4.1. Design heights of earth cover, wall thicknesses, and reinforcing steel areas are determined
based on the elastic method of structural analysis and the ultimate strength method of
2
reinforced concrete design given in the 1971 ACI Building Code (ACI 318-71). Steel areas
are governed by ultimate flexural strength. The steel areas and the size and spacing of
circumferential wires are proportioned to limit the maximum crack width to 0.01 in. under
design load conditions. Evaluation of crack control with the welded wire fabric
reinforcement specified for the tabulated designs is based on the results of research by
Lloyd, Rejali, and Kesler3 at the University of Illinois, and is significantly more conservative
than the crack control provisions given in ACI 318-71. This is because it is recognized that
approximations that were used to simplify the ACI crack control provisions can result in
unconservative designs for thin elements such as slabs. Standard designs do not cover
installations that must resist significant external water pressure. Furthermore, installations
that are subject to high external water pressure may require vertical reinforcement for the
inside face of the side walls. Lloyd, Rejali, and Kesler suggest that crack control equations
developed for deformed bar reinforcement may also be used for both welded smooth wire
fabric and deformed wire fabric reinforcement.

X1.4.2. Note that some box section designs shown in the tables have steel area requirements
designated by “d” as minimum practical steel area. For such designs, the steel areas
calculated for support of design loads are less than the minimum steel area that is specified
for slabs in AASHTO Bridge Specifications, 0.002 bt, and thus, the minimum reinforcement
areas are shown in the tables.

X1.4.3. For specific criteria used in Tables 1, 2, and 3, refer to Table X1.1.

Table X1.1—Update on AASHTO Bridge Specification Edition Impact (variable with depth) (see
AASHTO's Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, Twelfth Edition, 1977)

X1.4.4. The maximum height of earth cover shown in the tables is determined by the shear
strength of the box section without the use of special shear reinforcement, as given in
Sections 11.2.1, 11.2.2, and 11.4.1 of ACI 318-71, and by the “standard weight” of the
column of earth directly above the box section. See Table X1.2 for the maximum loads that
 can be carried on the standard box sections. These loads can be used to determine
maximum earth cover heights when the anticipated weight of earth supported by the
section is greater than (or less than) the above “standard weight” of earth cover.

Table X1.2—Design Information for Revising Tabulated Reinforcing Steel Areas

X1.5. Multiple-Cell Installations:

X1.5.1. The designs given herein are for single-cell precast reinforced concrete box sections. The
units may be used in parallel for multicell installations if means of positive lateral bearing by
continuous contact between the sides of adjacent boxes are provided. Compacted earth fill,
granular backfill, or grouting between the units are considered means of providing such
positive bearing.

X2. MODIFICATION OF “STANDARD” BOX SECTION DESIGNS FOR

EARTH LOADS DIFFERENT FROM THE “STANDARD” EARTH LOAD

X2.1. The heights of cover given in Tables 1, 2, and 3 are based on a “standard weight of earth
fill” equal to the weight of a column of earth with a unit weight of 120 lb/ft3 and a width
equal to the out-to-out width of the box section. For some installations, the design engineer
may determine that for a given height of cover, the weight of earth to be supported by the
box section is more or less than the above “standard weight of earth fill” used to develop
the designs given in the tables.

X2.1.1. For example, the Marston-Spangler theory for loads on buried structures indicates that the
weight of earth that must be supported by most “positive projecting” conduits is greater
than the weight of a column of earth directly over the conduit, while the weight of earth
that must be supported by “trench-type” conduits, “negative-projecting” conduits, and
“induced-trench” conduits is less than the weight of earth over the conduits. Also, the
designer may wish to use a unit weight of earth more or less than the 120 lb/ft3 used in the
“standard weight,” or may wish to include a particular uniformly distributed surface
surcharge loading.
X2.2. Incremental reinforcing steel areas are given in Table X1.2 for each box section type.
Where installation conditions warrant the use of a weight of earth more or less than the
“standard weight,” the designer may utilize these incremental areas to modify the steel
areas given in Tables 1, 2, or 3 for a particular height of cover. The maximum total weight
of earth fill that may be supported over the out-to-out width of each standard box section
size, as governed by shear strength without shear reinforcing, is also given in Table X1.2.
Thus, for any weight of earth or surface surcharge, or both, a designer can use Tables 1, 2,
3, and X1.2, to determine the required area of reinforcing steel for various heights of earth
cover, or the maximum height of earth cover without special shear reinforcing, for any of
the standard box section sizes shown in these tables.

X2.3. The following design example illustrates how the previously mentioned tables may be used
to obtain a suitable design for a box section to support an earth load that is greater than
the “standard weight of earth” used to develop Tables 1, 2, and 3.

X2.3.1. Example:
X2.3.1.1. Given—A 6 ft by 6 ft by 7 in. Table 1 precast concrete box section under 14 ft of cover with
110 lb/ft3 earth and an effective weight of earth supported by the section of 1.36 times the
weight of the column of earth directly over the section instead of the standard 120 lb/ft3
earth.

X2.3.1.2. Find—The required As1, As2, and As3 circumferential reinforcement areas. In all cases, As4 is
governed by the minimum steel areas as described in Section X1.4.2 and is not changed by
increased vertical loads.

X2.3.2. Solution:
X2.3.2.1. Effective unit weight of soil = 110 × 1.36 = 150 lb/ft3

X2.3.2.2. Determine change in total weight of earth on culvert in kps force/linear ft (1000 lbf):

(X2.1)

where:

W = total weight of earth on culvert, kf/linear ft;

H = height of earth cover, ft;

B = outside span, ft;

w = unit weight of earth, kf/ft3;

W120 = 14 × 7.167 × 0.120 = 12.040 kf/ft;

W150 = 14 × 7.167 × 0.150 = 15.051 kf/ft; and

W = W150 − W120 = 3.011 kf/ft

X2.3.2.3. Determine the change in circumferential reinforcement areas. From Table 1, for a 6 ft by 6
ft by 7 in. section under 14 ft of cover As1 = 0.17, As2 = 0.32, and As3 = 0.33 in.2/ft. From
Table X1.2, for a 6 ft by 6 ft by 7 in. section, the changes in reinforcing areas are for As1 =
0.013, As2 and As3 = 0.02B in.2/ft for each 1000 lbf/ft of load change. Therefore:
 Therefore, the correct reinforcement areas are as follows:

X2.3.2.4. Determine if the total weight of earth on the culvert is less than the maximum as governed
by the shear strength of culvert without stirrups.

From Table X1.2, the maximum allowable weight = 16,900 lbf/ft. From Section X2.3.2.,

W150 = 15,051 lbf/ft.

The approximate equivalent uniform load from an HS20 live load at 14-ft burial depth is
about 160 lbf/ft2 or a total load of 1150 lbf/ft (160 × 7.167). Therefore, the total weight on
the box section is 16,200 lbf/ft (15,050 + 1150), which is less than the maximum allowable;
therefore, the design is satisfactory.

1 Standard designs and criteria used to develop designs included in this specification are under the
jurisdiction of the AASHTO Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures. Agrees with ASTM C789-95a except
that the use of synthetic fibers will be at the owner's option.
2 Available from the American Concrete Institute, P.O. Box 4754, Redford Station, Detroit, MI 48219.
3Lloyd, J. P., H. M. Rejali, and C. E. Kesler, “Crack Control in One-Way Slabs Reinforced with Deformed
Welded Wire Fabric,” Journal of the American Concrete Institute Proceedings, PACIA, Vol. 66, No. 5, May
1969.