TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Web-Only Document 190: Structural Design of Culvert Joints explores the effect of longitudinal bending on joints in rigid (reinforced concrete) and flexible (corrugated steel and thermoplastic) culverts.
The report examines two joint types–those that release the longitudinal bending moments (denoted ‘moment-release joints’) like gasketted bell and spigot joints, and those that transfer them (denoted ‘moment-transfer joints’) such as band connections.