Chapter 01

INTRODUCTION
1.1 General

All over the world concrete box culverts are used for infrastructure development in
rail and road development. With the development of finite element software, civil
engineers prefer to design civil structures with finite element method model analysis
results. Analysis model is simplified version of the real structure which has to be
built in future. As in building structures or bridges, box culverts are also analyzed
using finite element method with frame elements or shell elements. Due to
centerline modeling and representing three dimensional structures with two
dimensional or one dimensional element make assumption that members are
prismatic with constant moment of inertia between centerlines but it is not correct,
because member is prismatic until support face only. Members are connected not
only at center of the support, but also face of the support in solid element models.
For general civil structural analysis it is difficult to use solid element analysis.

1.2 Need for Research

Most structural analysis method used in manual calculation or computer based finite
element method of analysis, structures are represented by centerline elements. In
calculation stiffness effects are represented. With this representation, continuous
smooth bending moment diagram can be drawn to each element from start to end of
element between center to center of element jointed length. In FEM analysis using
frame or shell elements and structural frame analysis, it is assumed that members are
prismatic with constant moment of inertia between centerlines, but it is not correct,
because member is prismatic until support face only, but from that point to support
centerline it has greatly increased the depth with very high moment of inertia. With
this error BMD of general shell element models are continuous throughout the