Project Settings

Project Name

Name of project (30 characters maximum).

Task

Task name (30 characters maximum). Should describe the location and possibly type of culvert being designed.

Client

Client name (20 characters maximum).

Job Number

Job number (15 characters maximum).

Designer

Initials of the designer. This will appear in the top right-hand corner of each page of printed reports.

Specifications

Select any of the various LRFD, CHBDC, Standard, or AREMA design codes. You may freely switch between any of the specifications at any time. However, if you do, you should review all data for the job to ensure that any assumptions the program had to make during the switch to one of the other specifications are valid. Note, however, that switching specifications does not automatically switch the truck, the user will have to manually re-select the appropriate truck. If you do select Standard or AREMA Specifications then you can select the Method as either Load Factor (LFD) or Service Load (ASD) .

Program Operation

Select either Design Mode or Analysis Mode. This will determine the basic operating mode of the program. In Design Mode the program will design the culvert according to user-specified input. In this mode the program will determine the appropriate culvert properties such as reinforcement, slab thickness, and wall thickness. Member thicknesses can be ‘fixed’ in the Analysis Options dialog box to freeze the slab and wall thicknesses so that only the reinforcement will be designed. In Analysis Mode the program will analyze the culvert according to the user-specified input and program designed values. In this mode the user can adjust the reinforcement and review analysis results. The program will not automatically adjust parameters such as reinforcement, slab thickness, and wall thickness.

Two items need to be discussed at this point. First, if you want to switch reinforcement types (either from rebar to mesh, or from mesh to rebar), you must first switch the program operation to Design Mode. You can then switch the reinforcement type. This is done to allow the program to fill the internal reinforcement schedule with the appropriate type of reinforcement. Second, you may only indicate that shear steel is active in Analysis Mode. Currently the program does not design the shear steel for you, and member thicknesses are determined during Design Mode assuming that the concrete resists the entire applied shear. Note that shear steel is not required, it is merely available as an option during an analysis.

State/Agency

Select the agency that governs the current design. Known settings typically used for that agency will be set as the current settings when the OK button is pressed. When an agency is selected, the values that will be changed are shown in the window to the right.

Type of Culvert

Select either Precast or Cast-in-place culvert. The selection will affect the Culvert Properties input screen. For example precast culverts are limited to 60 feet length while cast-in-place culverts can be any length and only cast-in-place culverts can have end skews. Also, specific code provisions may impact cast-in-place design differently than precast. See the Engineering Theory for a detailed discussion of any potential differences between culvert types.

Units

Either US Customary (ft, lbs) or Metric (m, kg).

Optional Design Limits

New in v6.0.0, designers have the ability to enter design limits for each project for various values, including shipping weight, design height and width, and maximum length. These user-defined limits do not effect the analysis, but an error will be shown in the Text Report window if the culvert exceeds any of these limits.