Corrugated Culvert Pipe

Corrugated plastic pipe is the perfect product to replace or reline other types of drainage materials after they have deteriorated.
These can be found under roadways and railroad tracks. Usually, culverts are short with both ends open to direct the water flowing through them. However, they must be strong to support the heavy traffic loads or overburdened embankments.

Culverts help to provide access to commercial farms, homes, developments, or livestock facilities. They can also be installed under haul roads that are used for forestry and mining.

Understanding more about corrugated culvert pipe is the best way to ensure the right steps are taken for a project that involves the need for these materials. Keep in mind, in this industry, not all products are the same, which means it is necessary to learn more about the most common uses for the culverts.

Accepted and Proven
Depending on the diameter of the culvert, corrugated HDPE pipe must meet or exceed the accepted standards, including the AASHTO M252 or the M294 and the ASTM F667 or F2648. It should also be listed within the AREMA manual to be suitable for use with railroad projects.
Also, corrugated polypropylene pipe should meet or exceed the set standards by ASTM F2881 or AASHTO M330. Both Type S (smooth interior) and Type C (corrugated interior) are widely available for purchase.

Corrugated plastic pipe has been approved by most of the state Departments of Transportation, reginal agencies, and local municipalities to be used as culverts and in several other storm drainage applications.

Highway Drainage
For over 30 years, corrugated plastic pipe has been placed under interstate highways. Along with culverts, some other common uses for sufficient highway drainage include median drains (these are located between the lanes that are located between a divided highway) and edge drains (located at the pavement edge).

Median drains will usually use larger pieces of pipe, without any perforations. They are also designed to collect water from edge drains and surface flows. With edge drains, there are small, perforated pipes that are designed to drain all runoff from under the pavement.

Superior Hydraulics
When corrugated pipe has a smooth interior surface, it provides superior flow efficiencies. This also allows sediment to be flushed from the system while maintaining overall drainage at the desired capacity. With such high hydraulics, the pipe may be able to be reduced by approximately one diameter from the culverts with corrugated interiors. This type of downsizing and work to help reduce the cost of the pipe and allows construction teams to create a narrower trench. This also helps to reduce total excavation and the backfill requirements, while driving installation costs down.

Subdrain Use for Corrugated Culvert Pipe
Subdrains are systems of underground piping that are used for removing water out of an area that is designed to collect or retain groundwater or surface water. This network of pipes are often small and usually designed to drain a small area, or it can be big enough to drain larger areas.

Surface water can be gathered and collected in the subdrain system by installing a type of catch basin or a surface inlet. Also, groundwater is collected by letting water into the pipe by way of the perforations. Both groundwater and surface water will be discharged to the proper outlet, including nearby waterways, ponds, or storm sewers.

Sewer Design
How effective the subdrain system is will be determined by the spacing, native soil, and the pipe depth, and the diameter. It is essential to figure out, specifically, while certain sites require better drainage. For example, are there plants in the area that may be damaged or even killed if the roots are submerged in the water? Or is the area used for recreation and parking and needs to be usable after it rains?

By answering these questions, it is possible to determine the depth of the pipe, how close the laterals need to be placed to one another, and the pipe slope and size. The soil present where the culvert is being installed plays a big role in the layout of the system, too. Tighter clay soils will not release groundwater as easily as a looser or sandy soil. This means that the network must be designed for the conditions in the local area.

Shopping a Complete Line of Culverts and Pipe Products
The requirements for modern subdrain systems will vary significantly. Sometimes this is true at the same site. You can find corrugated plastic pipe at diameters that range from two inches up to 60 inches, options with smooth or corrugated interiors, geotextile wraps, perforations, and more. There are also full lines of fittings that will meet the needs of virtually any layout configuration. Most of the pipes that are available are compatible with all types of inlet structures.

Ability to Withstand Deep Burial
In most cases, deeper burials are not necessary for the installation of subdrain systems. However, there are some situations when the pipe may undergo serious soil loads – this is especially the case if the ground happens to be rolling or hilly. In this situation, corrugated plastic pipe will be able to meet the cover requirements of up to 20 feet, often more, when proper backfill processes are used.

Finding the Right Culvert Supplier
When someone needs smooth or corrugated culvert pipes, it is necessary to find a quality supplier. This is going to help ensure that the quality products needed are found and purchased. To find the right supplier, take time to get to know the options that are available and do a bit of comparison shopping. This is the best way to ensure that the quality pipe needed is found and that an affordable price is given. In the long run, this is going to ensure that any project meets the needs and specifications set.
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Being informed is the best way to help ensure that the highest quality culvert suppliers are found and that they meet the needs and demands of your project, regardless of its scope.