Conceptual principles for the comprehensive assessment of the performance of the “Reinforced embankment – corrugated steel structure” system in civil engineering

Abstract

For corrugated steel structures embedded in an embankment, design assessment is complicated by the dependence of the shell’s performance on the condition of the backfill, the subgrade and the construction technology. The aim of this work was to determine the interrelationship between the parameters of the metal shell, reinforced soil, backfill and subgrade, to establish criteria for their verification, and to define the procedure for using design and monitoring data during the design, construction and operation phases of the structures. The study involved an analysis of regulatory documents and scientific publications, a structural-functional analysis, and a parametric calculation based on a linearly elastic ring model. As a result of the analysis, a design scheme was developed that combines a metal shell with a reinforced soil ring, overlying backfill, a foundation, a road surface and drainage elements. The relationship between potential malfunctions of individual components and the indicators by which they can be detected during construction and operation has been systematised. It is proposed to use a comprehensive inspection system covering the strength and stability of the shell, the performance of the reinforcement, the deformations of the backfill and the foundation, as well as the technical condition of the drainage system and the protective lining. For a hypothetical structure with a diameter of 2.5 m, three loading cases were formulated with a total design load of 63.8-75.61 kN/m² and three scenarios for changing parameters, resulting in nine combinations for comparative analysis. Under maximum load, a reduction in the effective stiffness of the soil contour from 20 to 5 MN/m³ was accompanied by an increase in the bending moment from 2.88 to 6.19 kN×m/m, in normal stress from 31.92 to 60.14 MPa, and the vertical displacement of the lower part of the shell – from 1.46 to 7.06 mm. The proposed approach forms the methodological basis for a comprehensive assessment of the performance of the “reinforced embankment-corrugated steel structure” system during the design, construction and operational phases