Laboratory tests of soil-shell structures made of GRP - an evaluation of the soil medium

Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Mechanics of Structures and Urban Engineering, Poland

^* Corresponding author: tomasz.abel@pwr.edu.pl

Abstract

Soil-shell structures have been widely used for many years in road and network constructions where there are collisions of transport linear structures. A benefit of using such structures is the speed of construction and the durability of the materials used. Despite the wide use of different types of materials, in particular steel shells, new material solutions are still being sought. One material that has been used successfully for many years in the construction of underground network facilities is plastic from the group of duroplasts. Composite profiles with cross-sections reaching up to 3.0 m can be used in the construction of pipe culverts. These culverts are not only objects with a circular cross-section shape, but also other shapes with very good hydraulic parameters and high strength parameters. In order to determine the dependence between the strength of a composite shell and the surrounding soil, a series of tests of laboratory models made in a natural scale were carried out. The aim of the research was to determine the possibility of using duroplastic structures as culverts located under traffic routes, and to also determine the scope of cooperation of the structure with the soil medium and their mutual dependencies.