Graduation Semester and Year
Summer 2026
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering
Department
Civil Engineering
First Advisor
Mohammad Najafi
Abstract
Aging corrugated metal pipe (CMP) culverts increasingly suffer severe invert deterioration, yet structural design guidance for polymeric spray-applied pipe linings (SAPL) remains uncodified and still relies on equations adapted from cured-in-place pipe practice. This dissertation develops and validates a mechanics-based design methodology for polymeric SAPL in gravity-flow culverts.
A nonlinear three-dimensional Abaqus/Standard model of the soil-culvert-liner system was built with explicit corrugation geometry, frictional contact with separation, and nonlinear material behavior. The model was calibrated against full-scale soil-box tests carried out at the Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education, reproducing the measured ultimate loads, crown deflections, and observed failure modes closely. The validated model then executed a systematic parametric study in which liner thickness, soil cover depth, and equivalent culvert diameter were varied independently.
The results are synthesized into a two-tier design framework. The first tier provides closed-form response surfaces for ultimate capacity, first-distress deflection, and system stiffness. The second tier supplies a buckling cross-check adapted from ASTM F1216 through a calibrated bias factor that accounts for corrugation and arch geometry. Comparison with legacy design equations identifies the conditions under which existing formulas become unconservative for pipe-arch culverts.
Keywords
Spray-applied pipe lining, Polymeric SAPL, Trenchless rehabilitation, Corrugated metal pipe culvert, Invert deterioration, Soil-structure interaction, Three-dimensional finite element analysis, Parametric study, Response surface design equations, Buried pipe structural design
Disciplines
Civil Engineering | Geotechnical Engineering | Structural Engineering | Transportation Engineering
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Rajaie, Ehsan, "Development of a Design Methodology for Polymeric Spray-Applied Pipe Linings in Deteriorated Culverts Using 3D Finite Element Analysis Informed by a Parametric Study" (2026). Civil Engineering Dissertations. 10.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/civilengineering_dissertations2/10
Included in
Civil Engineering Commons, Geotechnical Engineering Commons, Structural Engineering Commons, Transportation Engineering Commons