CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL
A culvert is a structure that allows water to pass from one side of a roadway, railway, or other
similar impediment to the other. It might be made of a pipe, reinforced concrete, or anything
else. It is intended to allow car or pedestrian traffic to cross the watercourse while yet allowing
enough water flow. Culverts come in a variety of forms, including arch, slab, and box. They
are subjected to the same traffic loads as the road and must thus be constructed for similar
loads. Culverts must be constructed beneath earth embankment for the crossing of water
courses such as streams, Nallas, and so on, since road embankment cannot be permitted to
block the natural water flow. The culverts must also balance the flood water on both sides of
the earth embankment in order to minimize the flood level on one side of the road, hence
decreasing the water head and so lessening the flood threat. These can be made of various
materials such as masonry (brick, stone, etc.) or reinforced cement concrete. In motorways,
concrete culverts in trenches are commonly employed. A box type structure with a single or
several cells can be used efficiently as an underpass, grade separator, minor bridge, or flyover.
Culverts are classified into two types: stiff culverts, such as concrete, and flexible culverts,
such as steel. Rigid culverts are designed to withstand bending moments that flexible culverts
do not. Under many situations, it is structurally and hydraulically efficient. For smaller
openings, pipe is often preferable. The second shape is a pipe arch or an elliptical shape, which
is commonly employed when the distance from the channel invert to the pavement surface is
restricted. Pipe arches and elliptical shapes are not structurally efficient when compared to
circular shapes, which are utilised in locations with limited vertical clearance. The third option
is an arch culvert, which provides less hindrance to the river than pipe arches and is also safe
for scour design criteria. The fourth kind is the box section, which is a square or rectangular
section that is commonly used nowadays since the angular corners of the construction are not
hydraulically or structurally safe to solve this haunch is preferred at the corners. Fifth several
cells are utilised when the channel is too broad and where the span has greater length by height
to provide an appropriate passage to waterways so that there is no clogging when the discharge
is high.

Figure 1.1.1 Pipe culvert Figure 1.1.2 Box culvert

1.2 BOX CULVERT
 Box culverts are an important feature of a transportation network since they are a less
expensive alternative to large bridges.
 The box has top and bottom slabs that are monolithically joined to the vertical walls.
 A box culvert can have several cells and be situated such that the top slab is virtually at road
level with no cushion.
 It may be installed at any elevation within the embankment with changing cushion, which
other types of culverts cannot do.
 Larger box culverts can be manufactured to suit higher flow rates and capacity.
 The structure is built as a rigid frame, with the final distributed moments calculated based on
the relative stiffness of the slab and vertical walls.
 Box culverts are often cast in place in India, although they are favored in other nations
because to their inexpensive cost and quick craftsmanship.
 The box is only a moniker for its shape; it may be found in a variety of shapes and can also
operate as a small bridge when the number of cells increases and the span exceeds 6m in
length.
 If the channel width is considerable, box culverts can be provided in numerous numbers.
 he top slab of a box culvert must endure dead loads, active loads from moving traffic, earth
pressure from within, and pressure on the bottom slab in addition to the slab's own weight.
 Bottom slab, Vertical walls, Deck slab, Haunch, Wing wall, Return wall, Drop wall, Curtain
wall, Earth retainer are all components of box culverts.
 Box culverts are exposed to soil lateral earth stresses and ground water hydrostatic loads.
Vertical loads from the cover soil, as well as living loads from above. Surcharge loads
generated by neighboring impact loads Where relevant, seismic loads.
 The structure is constructed as a rigid frame using the moment distribution method to
acquire final dispersed moments from vertical walls and slabs.
 Box culverts are often found in three locations: at the bottom of depressions where no
natural water flow exists, where natural streams connect the roadway, and where natural
streams intersect the roadway.
 Many common issues arise with box culverts, such as serviceability and strength, abrasion,
and concrete degradation. Sedimentation and debris obstruction will be important causes for
 masonry culverts.
 The structural and hydraulic design of a box culvert differs from the design of a bridge in
terms of construction, maintenance, replacement, and repair. The first fundamental
characteristic of box culverts is hydraulic, in which the culvert is designed for the greatest
flood level or peak value with a buried intake to maximise hydraulic efficiency.
 Second, structural culverts are utilized to handle all of the dead load, live load, pressure
load, impact load, and braking forces that can be safely resisted by the structure and soil.
 The third issue is maintenance; there is a problem with debris and sediment blocking the
culvert, especially when it is subjected to seasonal flow.
 The fourth is a structure in which culverts are designed to withstand vehicle loads by
combining the strength of the box and the surrounding embankment.
 The fifth is that material durability is a critical issue in box culverts and other drainage
structures. Corrosion and abrasion of accessible materials can occur in a counteractive
environment.

Fig 1.2.1: Box Culvert

1.3 ADVANTAGES OF BOX CULVERTS