Profile-Wall High-Density Polyethylene Pipes 1050 mm in Diameter Under Deep Soil Cover: Comparisons of Field Performance Data and Analytical Predictions

Abstract

Although the study of pipe–soil interaction has more than 80 years of history, a lack of long-term field performance data still exists when it comes to the structural performance of large-diameter, profile–wall thermoplastic pipes under deep soil cover. Field-monitored structural performance data were taken for 1050-mm (42-in.) diameter, corrugated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, which were subjected to 6.1-m (20-ft) and 12.2-m (40-ft) soil fill heights at the ORITE deep burial test site at the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment. The field data accumulated over about 2 years indicate that these HDPE pipes are performing satisfactorily. None of the pipes deflected more than −2.5% vertically and 1% horizontally. Closer examinations of the field data obtained at the end of construction and a few months afterward provided insights into the HDPE pipe performance under deep soil cover. Among the analytical methods evaluated in light of the field data, the elastic solutions established by Burns and Richard were most promising in predicting the field performance of the HDPE pipes under deep soil fill.