A study of the new construction method for transverse box culverts by using the steel-concrete composite sandwich deck slab - cutting the cost of constructing expressways

Expressways are typically constructed on high embankments to accommodate transverse box culverts. If the embankment height could be reduced while still accommodating culverts, then the road construction costs could be lowered by reducing the required volume of embankment soil. The authors achieved this by devising a transverse box culvert whose steel-concrete composite sandwich deck slab resembles the composite slabs used for road bridges.
The slab was tested indoors for bending failure, punching shear failure and fatigue strength under cyclic wheel loading. It was tested in an expressway for loading by heavy vehicles. The experiments demonstrated the soundness of the design method.
This paper describes the design and construction of this structure, and the results of the indoor and outdoor experiments.