The Behaviour of Shallow-Buried Corrugated Steel Plate Bridge with RC Slab and EPS Geofoam Under Static Live Loads

The increasing use of buried corrugated steel plate (CSP) bridges and culverts in transportation infrastructure contributes to looking for the most optimal solutions regarding durability and cost. The paper presents a finite element analysis and experimental testing under static live loads of a shallow-buried CSP bridge with a span of 10.00 m and a height of 4.02 m. The depth of the soil cover (0.65 m) did not meet the minimum requirements in this respect. Therefore, a reinforced concrete (RC) relieving slab was placed above the shell crown. In the parametric analysis, it was decided to use various types of expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam as an alternative to RC slab. Undoubtedly, using EPS is cheaper and faster than using an RC slab. Nevertheless, it is essential whether it gives a similar (or better) effect as the RC slab. Five models of the bridge were used in the analysis, i.e. without RC slab (model I), with RC slab (model II) and with various types of EPS (models III-V). The numerical analysis results were compared with experimental tests for the buried bridge with the RC slab. The obtained results can help design buried CSP bridges and culverts with a small depth of soil cover.