This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of an ASTM standard an indication of what

changes have been made to the previous version. Because

it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.

An American National Standard

Designation:F2787–09 Designation: F2787 – 11

Standard Practice for

Structural Design of Thermoplastic Corrugated Wall
Stormwater Collection Chambers1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F2787; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope*
1.1 This practice standardizes structural design of thermoplastic corrugated wall arch-shaped chambers used for collection,
detention, and retention of stormwater runoff. The practice is for chambers installed in a trench or bed and subjected to earth and
live loads. Structural design includes the composite system made up of the chamber arch, the chamber foot, and the soil envelope.
Relevant recognized practices include design of thermoplastic culvert pipes and design of foundations.
1.2 This practice standardizes methods for manufacturers of buried thermoplastic structures to design for the time dependent
behavior of plastics using soil support as an integral part of the structural system. This practice is not applicable to thermoplastic
structures that do not include soil support as a component of the structural system.
1.3 This practice is limited to structural design and does not provide guidance on hydraulic, hydrologic, or environmental design
considerations that may need to be addressed for functional use of stormwater collection chambers.
1.4 Stormwater chambers are most commonly embedded in open graded, angular aggregate which provide both structural
support and open porosity for water storage. Should soils other than open graded, angular aggregate be specified for embedment,
other installation and functional concerns may need to be addressed that are outside the scope of this practice.
1.5 Chambers are produced in arch shapes to meet classifications that specify chamber rise, chamber span, minimum foot width,
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minimum wall thickness, and minimum arch stiffness constant. Chambers are manufactured with integral footings.
1.6 Polypropylene chamber classifications are found in Specification F2418. Specification F2418 also specifies chamber
manufacture and qualification.
(https://standards.iteh.ai)
1.7 This practice is applicable to design in inch-pound units. The SI units in parenthesis are given for information only.

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1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility
of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory
limitations prior to use.
2. Referenced Documents ASTM F2787-11
ASTM Standards:2
2.1https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/04c5820f-4d82-48b0-be57-978267cea6f7/astm-f2787-11
D2487 Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System)
D2990 Test Methods for Tensile, Compressive, and Flexural Creep and Creep-Rupture of Plastics
D6992 Test Method for Accelerated Tensile Creep and Creep-Rupture of Geosynthetic Materials Based on Time-Temperature
Superposition Using the Stepped Isothermal Method
F2418 Specification for Polypropylene (PP) Corrugated Wall Stormwater Collection Chambers
2.2 AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications:3
Section 3 Loads and Load Factors, 3.5 Permanent Loads; 3.6 Live Loads
Section 10 Foundations, 10.6 Spread Footings
Section 12 Buried Structures and Tunnel Liners, 12.12 Thermoplastic Pipes
2.3 AASHTO Standard Specifications:3
M 43 Standard Specification for Size of Aggregate for Road and Bridge Construction
M 145 Standard Specification for Classification of Soils and Soil-Aggregate Mixtures for Highway Construction Purposes

1
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F17.65 on Land Drainage.
Current edition approved Aug. 1, 2009. Published September 2009. DOI: 10.1520/F2787-09.
Current edition approved April 1, 2011. Published April 2011. Originally approved in 2009. Last previous edition approved in 2009 as F2787–09. DOI: 10.1520/F2787-09.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM Standards
volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on the ASTM website.
3
AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications-Dual Units, 4th Edition, 2007 and AASHTO Standard Specifications for Transportation Materials and Sampling, 28th
edition, 2008. Available from American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), 444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 249, Washington, DC 20001.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

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 F2787 – 11
T 99 Standard Method of Test for Moisture-Density Relations of Soils Using a 2.5-kg (5.5-lb) Rammer and a 305-mm (12-in.)
Drop
2.4 AWWA Manual:4
M 45 Manual of Water Supply Practices: Fiberglass Pipe Design
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions—Definitions used in this specification are in accordance with the definitions in Terminology F412, and
abbreviations are in accordance with Terminology D1600, unless otherwise indicated.
3.1.1 chamber—an arch-shaped structure manufactured of thermoplastic with an open-bottom that is supported on feet and may
be joined into rows that begin with, and are terminated by, end caps (see Fig. 1).
3.1.2 classification—the chamber model specification that identifies nominal height, nominal width, rise, span, minimum foot
width, wall thickness, and arch stiffness constant.
3.1.3 corrugated wall—a wall profile consisting of a regular pattern of alternating crests and valleys connected by web elements
(see Fig. 2).
3.1.4 crest—the element of a corrugation located at the exterior surface of the chamber wall, spanning between two web
elements (see Fig. 2).
3.1.5 crown—the center section of a chamber typically located at the highest point as the chamber is traversed circumferentially.
3.1.6 embedment—backfill material against the sides of chambers and end caps and in between rows of chambers from the
foundation stone below to a specified dimension over the top of the chambers (see Fig. 3).
3.1.7 end cap—a bulkhead provided to begin and terminate a chamber, or row of chambers, and prevent intrusion of
surrounding embedment materials.
3.1.8 foot—a flat, turned out section that is manufactured with the chamber to provide a bearing surface for transfer of vertical
loads to the foundation (see Fig. 1).
3.1.9 foot area—the actual contact area of the foot with the foundation.
3.1.10 local buckling—compression failure of built-up plate sections with high width-to-thickness ratios.
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3.1.11 nominal height—a designation describing the approximate outside vertical dimension of the chamber at its crown (see
Fig. 1).
(https://standards.iteh.ai)
3.1.12 nominal width—a designation describing the approximate outside horizontal dimension of the chamber at its feet (see
Fig. 1).

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3.1.13 rise—the vertical distance from the chamber base (bottom of the chamber foot) to the inside of a chamber wall valley
element at the crown as depicted in Fig. 1.
3.1.14 span—the horizontal distance from the interior of one sidewall valley element to the interior of the other sidewall valley
element as depicted in Fig. 1.
3.1.15 valley—the element of a corrugation locatedASTM F2787-11
at the interior surface of a chamber wall, spanning between two web
elementshttps://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/04c5820f-4d82-48b0-be57-978267cea6f7/astm-f2787-11
(see Fig. 2).
3.1.16 viscoelasticity—the response of a material to load that is dependent both on load magnitude (elastic) and load rate
(viscous).

4
AWWA Manual of Water Supply Practices M45: Fiberglass Pipe Design, 2nd Edition, 2005. Available from the American Water Works Association (AWWA), 6666 W.
Quincy Ave., Denver, CO 80235.

NOTE—The model chamber shown in this standard is intended only as a general illustration.
FIG. 1 Chamber Terminology (Typical)

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 F2787 – 11

NOTE—The corrugation profile shown in this standard is intended only as a general illustration.
FIG. 2 Corrugation Terminology (Typical)

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(https://standards.iteh.ai)
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FIG. 3 Installation Terminology (Typical)

3.1.17 web—the element of a corrugated wall thatASTM

connectsF2787-11
a crest element to a valley element (see Fig. 2).
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4. Significance and Use
4.1 This practice provides a rational method for structural design of thermoplastic stormwater chambers. The loads, capacities,
and limit states are based on accepted load and resistance factor design for thermoplastic pipes; however, existing design
specifications for thermoplastic pipes do not adequately address the design of chambers due to (1) open-bottom geometry, (2)
support on integral foot, (3) varying circumferential corrugation geometry, and (4) manufacture with alternative thermoplastic
resin. This practice standardizes recommendations for designers to adequately address these aspects of chamber design.
4.2 This practice is written to allow chamber manufacturers to evaluate chambers meeting existing classifications and to design
chambers for new classifications as they are developed.
5. Basis of Design
5.1 Design is based on AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and publications for static soil-structure-interaction
analysis for thermoplastic pipes. Users should verify that these recommendations meet particular project needs.
5.2 Chamber installations shall be designed for the critical combination of live load and dead load, see Section 7.
5.3 Chambers shall be designed for service limit states and safety against structural failure, see Section 8.
5.3.1 Service Limit State—Service design shall limit vertical displacements at the ground surface. Chambers shall be evaluated
for detrimental structural deformation.
5.3.2 Safety Against Structural Failure—Structural design shall evaluate chambers for buckling, compression, tension, and
foundation bearing.
5.4 Buckling capacity is based on material stress limits. Compression and tension capacities are based on material strain limits.
Foundation bearing capacity is based on soil ultimate bearing capacity.
5.5 Chambers shall be designed using closed-form solutions (verified by analysis) or finite element analysis (FEA). Designs
shall be validated by testing.
NOTE 1—The soil-chamber system complexity generally precludes the use of closed-form solutions for determination of design force effects. While
specific solutions may be developed for individual chamber geometries, general solutions have not been developed to accurately predict behavior for the

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 F2787 – 11
many possible variations in chamber geometry. In most cases FEA must be employed to calculate design force effects on the chamber or as verification
of closed-form solutions.
5.6 Chamber material properties shall be based on tests.
5.7 Chamber section properties shall be calculated from the geometry of the chamber cross-section.
5.8 Soil properties shall be based on generally accepted published properties for the specified soil classifications or by tests on
site-specific materials.
6. Analysis for Design
6.1 The design shall include structural modeling of the chamber under loads in the installed soil environment. Analysis models
shall include critical anticipated live loads and soil cover heights that provide deflections for serviceability design and force effects
to design for safety against structural failure.
6.2 Analysis shall consider the following:
6.2.1 Chamber Structure—Two-dimensional FEA shall use beam elements with effective section properties to model the
chamber wall. Each beam element shall represent not more than 10 degrees of the chamber circumference. Nodes at beam ends
shall be located at the center of the gravity (cg) of the corrugated chamber wall cross-section. Three-dimensional FEA shall employ
shell elements.
6.2.2 FEA Program—Acceptable FEA programs include (1) CANDE (Culvert Analysis and Design), (2) similarly featured and
verified culvert design software, or (3) general purpose finite element analysis software with capability to model nonlinear static
soil-structure-interaction.
6.2.3 Creep—The time-dependent response (creep) of thermoplastic chamber materials shall be included in the analysis.
Acceptable methods are (1) multiple linear-elastic models with successive stiffness reductions for creep effects, and (2) nonlinear
chamber models that include the creep response. Values of creep modulus shall be determined by test in accordance with Test
Methods D2990 or Test Method D6992.
6.2.4 Soil—Models shall include accurate representation of the structural backfill envelope and boundary conditions. The
backfill envelope includes foundation, embedment, and cover. Boundary conditions typically include the size of the soil
iTeh Standards
embedment zone, distance to trench walls, subgrade under the backfill envelope, weight and stiffness of soils above the backfill
envelope, and boundary for application of live loads. Structural backfill soils shall be modeled with nonlinear properties that

(https://standards.iteh.ai)
incorporate the effects of confinement. Acceptable soil models include (1) soil hardening models that increase soil stiffness for
confinement, (2) elastic-plastic models that allow failure in shear, or (3) large-deformation models. Soils outside the backfill
envelope and further than two times the chamber span from the chamber may be modeled as linear-elastic. Soil continuum
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elements shall be either fully bonded to the chamber beam elements or modeled with a friction interface.
6.2.5 Live Load—Models shall include live loads, see Section 7.
6.2.6 Chamber Beds—Structural effects of adjacent chambers shall be analyzed. When two-dimensional plane-strain analysis
is used, changes in geometry along the length of chamberASTM F2787-11
runs, including intermediate stiffeners or diaphragms, shall be addressed
using separate models.
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7. Structural Loads
7.1 The design load on a chamber shall include dead load and live load.
7.2 Dead Load (DL)—Dead load shall be computed from permanent soil cover over chambers. The soil unit weight shall not
be less than 120 lb/ft3 (18.9 kN/m3) unless otherwise determined by tests. Dead load shall be calculated for each installation.
7.3 Dead Load Factor (g DL)—The dead load factor shall be 1.95.
7.4 Live Load (LL)—Live load calculation is provided in Annex A1. Live load includes transient loads (passing vehicles) or
sustained loads (stationary non-permanent loads). Live load computation is based on the AASHTO HL-93 design vehicular live
load applied to a single-loaded lane.
7.4.1 HL-93—The HL-93 load is a combination of the design truck or design tandem, whichever is critical, applied with the
design lane load.
7.4.2 Design Truck—The design truck shall be the AASHTO Design Truck as specified in AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design
Specifications, Section 3.6.1.2.2.
7.4.3 Design Tandem—The design tandem shall be the AASHTO Design Tandem as specified in AASHTO LRFD Bridge
Design Specifications, Section 3.6.1.2.3.
7.4.4 Thermoplastic chamber structures have a structural response that is dependent on load duration. Chamber response to live
load is computed using appropriate creep moduli for instantaneous response (transient loads) and longer-duration response
(sustained loads). As a minimum, design for live load shall include evaluation of instantaneous response (due to moving vehicles),
using a short duration (# 1 min) creep modulus, with multiple presence and impact factors in the live load computation, and a
sustained load response (due to parked vehicle) using a 1 week creep modulus with no multiple presence or impact factors included
in the live load computation.
7.5 Live Load Factor (gLL)—The live load factor shall be 1.75.
8. Structural Design
8.1 The resistance of a chamber to design loads shall be based on the critical limit state for (1) serviceability requirements, (2)

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 F2787 – 11
stability of the chamber to global buckling, (3) strength of the chamber to local buckling, (4) strength of the chamber material
relative to tensile strain limits, (5) capacity of the foundation material to bearing from the chamber foot, and (6) capacity of the
subgrade material to bearing from the foundation.
8.2 Serviceability—Chambers shall be designed to limit deflections that could adversely affect (1) displacements at the ground
surface, (2) distribution of loads assumed in the analysis, or (3) hydraulic function. Deflection predictions shall be obtained from
chamber design models using service loads. Unless otherwise specified, deflections (change in rise and span) shall be limited to
2.5 % of the nominal rise and span.
8.3 Compression Strength Capacity—The chamber is designed for compression local buckling by determination of an effective
area to carry factored loads. The effective area is calculated by idealizing the corrugation into rectangular plates. The design is
evaluated for the thrust only case, and for the combined thrust and bending case. The resulting safety factor is the ratio of allowable
material strain to induced strain calculated by this procedure. The following steps provide the design procedure (for design example
see Appendix X1).
8.3.1 Idealized Wall Profile—Corrugated wall cross-sections shall be idealized as straight (plate) elements. Each element is
assigned a width based on the clear distance between the adjoining elements and the thickness at the center of the element. Fig.
4 illustrates idealization of a model corrugation. Where the cross-section is non-uniform around the chamber circumference,
calculate idealized cross-section properties at locations separated not more than 30 degrees around the circumference.
8.3.2 First-Order Wall Strain—The first-order strain due to axial thrust, ´T, at a wall cross-section is given in Eq 1. The
first-order strain due to combined axial thrust and bending moment, ´Mi, for each element at a wall cross-section is given in Eq
2. Strains are positive for compression.
g DLmaxTDL 1 gLLT LL
´T 5 AEt (1)

g DLmaxTDL 1 gLLT LL ~ gDLmaxMDL 1 gLL MLL!ci

´Mi 5 AEt 1 IEt .0 (2)

where:
´T
iTeh Standards
= first-order strain at a wall cross-section due to axial thrust (in./in.),
´Mi
(https://standards.iteh.ai)
= first-order strain in each element at a wall cross-section due to combined axial thrust and bending moment (in./in.),
TDL = DL thrust at a wall cross-section from models (lb/in.),
TLL = LL thrust at a wall cross-section from models (lb/in.),
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MDL = DL bending moment at a wall cross-section from models (in.-lb/in.),
MLL = LL bending moment at a wall cross-section from models (in.-lb/in.),
ci = distance to each element center of gravity from the center of gravity of the wall cross-section (in.),
Et = thermoplastic modulus of elasticity used in the model; t indicates load duration dependency (lb/in.2),
A = gross area of the chamber wall cross-section ASTM F2787-11
(in.2/in.), and
I https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/04c5820f-4d82-48b0-be57-978267cea6f7/astm-f2787-11
= moment of inertia of the chamber wall cross-section (in.4/in.)
8.3.3 Slenderness and Effective Width—The effective width, bi, of each element in the cross-section for buckling shall be
determined by Eq 3.
bi 5 riwi (3)

ri 5
S
0.22
1– l
i
#1
D (4)
li

li 5 S DŒ
wi
ti
´i
ki . 0.673 (5)

FIG. 4 Typical and Idealized Cross-Section of Corrugated Wall

5
 F2787 – 11

where:
bi = effective width of each element (in.),
ri = effective width factor,
li = slenderness factor,
´i = strain in each element, evaluated for Thrust and Thrust + Moment (in./in.),
ki = plate buckling edge support coefficient,
ti = thickness of each element (in.), and
wi = total clear width of element between supporting elements (in.).
NOTE 2—The plate buckling edge support coefficient can be approximated as 4.0 for simply supported edges, or 0.43 for free edges. A more exact value
can be determined for specific cases based on methods presented in Timoshenko and Gere.5
8.3.4 Effective Area—The total effective area is determined as the summation of effective element areas in Eq 6.
A – (~1 – ri!witi
Aeff 5 v (6)

where:
Aeff = effective area of wall cross-section (in.2/in.), and
v = period of corrugation (in.).
8.3.5 Total Factored Strain—The total factored strains are given in Eq 7 and 8. The total factored strains are calculated at the
extreme outer fiber of the cross-section.
g DLmaxTDL 1 gLLT LL
´Tf 5 AeffEt (7)

gDLmaxTDL 1 g LLTLL ~gDLmaxM DL 1 gLLMLL!cc

´Mf 5 AeffEt 1 IEt .0 (8)

where:
´Tf iTeh Standards
= total factored thrust compression strain (in./in.),
´ Mf = total factored combined thrust and bending compression strain (in./in.), and
cc
(https://standards.iteh.ai)
= distance to extreme outer fiber from the center of gravity of the wall cross-section, for compression strain (in.).
8.3.6 Compression Strength Check—Chamber capacity is the thermoplastic yield strain, ´cy. Yield strain may be determined

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from material compression tests. Compression strength is satisfied if Eq 9 and 10 are met.
´cy
´Tf $ 1 (9)

ASTM F2787-11
1.5´cy
´Mf $ 1 (10)
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/04c5820f-4d82-48b0-be57-978267cea6f7/astm-f2787-11
where:
´cy = chamber thermoplastic compression yield strain (in./in.).
NOTE 3—For typical thermoplastics, the values of stiffness and strength vary with temperature, load level, and load rate. However, research, testing,
and analysis have shown that these same thermoplastics fail at a constant strain that is approximately independent of load application rate or duration.
The strain is a function of the resin. The limiting strains theory is used for design of thermoplastic culvert pipes in AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design
Specifications.
8.4 Tensile Strength Capacity—At any given wall cross-section, the maximum factored tensile strain shall not exceed the
material tensile yield strain as in Eq 11.
´ty
´t $ 1 (11)

g DLTDL 1 gLLTLL ~gDLM DL 1 gLLMLL!ct

´t 5 AE t 1 IEt ,0 (12)

where:
´ty = chamber thermoplastic tension yield strain (in./in.),
´t = maximum tensile strain in the chamber wall; use gDLmax or gDLmin to get maximum tension strain (in./in.), and
ct = distance to extreme outer fiber from the center of gravity of the wall cross-section, for tension strain (in.).
8.5 Global Buckling:
8.5.1 At any given wall cross-section, the critical buckling thrust, TCR, shall be greater than the maximum factored thrust due
to dead and live loads as shown in Eq 13. The thrust shall be obtained from chamber design models using service loads. Thrust
is positive for compression.

5
Timoshenko, S. P. and Gere, J. M., Theory Theory of Elastic Stability, McGraw Hill, New York, 1961.

6
 F2787 – 11
TCR
T $1 (13)

T5gDLmaxTDL1gLLTLL (14)
T 5 TDL 1 TLL (14)

where:
T = maximum factored thrust due to dead loads and live loads (lb/in.)
T CR = critical buckling thrust in Eq 15 (lb/in.).
8.5.2 The critical buckling thrust for a wall cross-section is given in Eq 15, following the approach adopted by the AWWA for
global buckling of buried plastic pipe.
1.2C n~ELI!0.33~fsM sky!0.67Rh
TCR 5 FS (15)

~1 1 y!~1 – 2y!
ky 5 1–y (16)

11.4
Rh 5 (17)
~11 1 D/h!

where:
T = maximum factored thrust due to dead loads and live loads (lb/in.)
FS = design factor = 2.5,
Cn = scalar calibration factor to account for nonlinear effects = 0.55,
fs = strength reduction factor for soil = 0.9,
y = Poisson’s ratio of the soil; in the absence of specific information, it is common to assume y = 0.3 giving ky = 0.74,
Ms = constrained soil modulus (lb/in.2), Table 1,
EL = 50 yr. tensile creep modulus (lb/in.2),
I
D =
=
nominal span of chamber (in.), and
iTeh Standards
moment of inertia of the chamber wall cross-section (in.4/in.),

h =
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height of soil cover over the chamber (in.).

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NOTE 4—The critical buckling thrust given by Eq 15 is for cylindrical pipe. Corrugated stormwater chambers generally have adequate hoop stiffness
that precludes global buckling.
8.6 Foundation Strength—Bearing of the chamber foot on the foundation and bearing of the foundation on the subgrade shall
be checked versus ultimate bearing capacity. The chamber foot shall be idealized as a rectangular spread footing with load applied
to the foundation. The load traveling from the chamberASTM
and anyF2787-11
concentrated adjacent soil column shall be distributed through the
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TABLE 1 Constrained Modulus Ms Based on Soil Type and Compaction ConditionA,B
Psp Stress level Sn-100 Sn-95 Sn-90 Sn-85
(ksf) (ksi) (ksi) (ksi) (ksi)
0.15 2.350 2.000 1.275 0.470
0.75 3.450 2.600 1.500 0.520
1.50 4.200 3.000 1.625 0.570
3.00 5.500 3.450 1.800 0.650
6.00 7.500 4.250 2.100 0.825
9.00 9.300 5.000 2.500 1.000
Psp Stress level Si-95 Si-90 Si-85
(ksf) (ksi) (ksi) (ksi)
0.15 1.415 0.670 0.360
0.75 1.670 0.740 0.390
1.50 1.770 0.750 0.400
3.00 1.880 0.790 0.430
6.00 2.090 0.900 0.510
9.00
Psp Stress level Cl-95 Cl-90 Cl-85
(ksf) (ksi) (ksi) (ksi)
0.15 0.530 0.255 0.130
0.75 0.625 0.320 0.175
1.50 0.690 0.355 0.200
3.00 0.740 0.395 0.230
6.00 0.815 0.460 0.285
9.00 0.895 0.525 0.345
A
The soil types are defined by a two-letter designation that indicates general soil classification. Sn for sands and gravels, Si for silts, and Cl for clays. Specific soil groups
that fall into these categories, based on ASTM D2487 and AASHTO M 145, are listed in Table 2.
B
The numerical suffix to the soil type indicates the compaction level of the soil as a percentage of maximum dry density determined in accordance with AASHTO T 99.

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 F2787 – 11
TABLE 2 Equivalent ASTM and AASHTO Soil Classifications
A,B
Basic Soil Type ASTM D2487 AASHTO M 145
Sn SW, SPC A1, A3C
(Gravelly sand, SW) GW, GP
sands and gravels with 12 % or less fines

Si GM, SM, ML A-2-4, A-2-5, A4

(Sandy silt, ML) also GC and SC with less than 20 % passing a No. 200 sieve

Cl CL, MH, GC, SC A-2-6, A-2-7, A5, A6

(Silty clay, CL) also GC and SC with more than 20 % passing a No. 200 sieve
A
The soil classification listed in parentheses is the type that was tested to develop the constrained soil modulus values in Table 1. The correlations to other soil types
are approximate.
B
Angular aggregate materials conforming to AASHTO M 43 are classified as Soil Type SN.
C
Uniformly graded materials with an average particle size smaller than a No. 40 sieve shall not be used as backfill for thermoplastic culverts unless specifically allowed
in the contract documents and special precautions are taken to control moisture content and monitor compaction levels.

foundation and applied as a spread footing to the subgrade. Calculations for bearing capacity shall be in accordance with AASHTO
Section 10 for spread footings, with soil properties determined by a geotechnical engineer (for foundation design example see
Appendix X2).
8.7 Design of End Closures—Closure pieces at the end of chambers such as end caps or end plates may be molded integrally
with the chamber or may be formed as a separate structure. End closures made as separate structures shall be designed to interlock
with the end corrugation at either end of a chamber row. An end cap may fit either over or under the end corrugation as long as
there is sufficient interlock with the chamber so that the end cap does not collapse into the chamber row after the placement of
backfill. End closures, whether integral with, or separate from, the chamber structure, shall be designed using the same engineering
principles applied to the chambers.
9. Design Qualification
iTeh Standards
9.1 Design Qualification—The chamber design shall be qualified with full-scale installation testing of representative chambers
under design earth and live loads.
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9.1.1 Testing shall demonstrate safety against structural failure. Sufficient performance data shall be obtained on which to verify
the design calculations.

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9.1.2 A minimum of two tests shall be conducted including one sustained earth load test and one live load test (see Appendix
X3).
10. Certification
ASTM
10.1 Design Certification—If requested by the purchaser, F2787-11
the chamber manufacturer shall provide certification that the chamber
design https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/04c5820f-4d82-48b0-be57-978267cea6f7/astm-f2787-11
meets all requirements of this standard and submit test reports, calculations, installation specifications, and drawings
showing conformance to this standard.
11. Keywords
11.1 chamber; corrugated; creep; local buckling; stormwater; structural design; thermoplastic

ANNEX

(Mandatory Information)

A1. COMPUTATION OF LIVE LOADS

A1.1 Live Load Computation—Live load includes transient loads (passing vehicles) or sustained loads (stationary non-
permanent loads). Live load computation is based on the AASHTO HL-93 design vehicular live load applied to a single loaded
lane. HL-93 live load is a combination of the design truck or design tandem, whichever is critical, applied with the design lane
load.
NOTE A1.1—Thermoplastic chamber structures have a structural response that is dependent on load duration. Chamber structural design should include
thermoplastic creep modulus that is consistent with the anticipated duration of live load. For example, the probable maximum duration of parked vehicles
over the chambers should be accounted for in selecting the design modulus. Typical values for load duration are as follows: instantaneous (# 1 minute)
with impact and multiple presence, to account for normal traffic; 1 week with no impact or multiple presence, to account for a vehicle parked over the
chamber for a longer duration.
A1.1.1 Design Truck—The design truck is based on the AASHTO design truck. The weights and spacing of axles and wheels
for the design truck shall be as specified in Fig. A1.1. The design truck has a single 8 kip (kip = 1000 lb) axle followed by two
32 kip axles, spaced 14 ft apart. Wheels on a single axle are spaced 6 ft apart. Wheel loads (W) shall be applied uniformly on tire
contact areas.

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FIG. A1.1 Characteristics of Design Truck and Design Tire Contact Area

NOTE A1.2—Typical stormwater chamber design will be based on a 32 kip axle, where low cover heights preclude interaction of adjacent axles.
A1.1.2 Design Tandem—The design tandem is based on the AASHTO Design Tandem. The weights and spacing of axles and
wheels for the design tandem shall be as specified in Fig. A1.2. The design tandem has two 25 kip axles, spaced 4 ft apart. Wheels
on a single axle are spaced 6 ft apart. Wheel loads are 12 500 lb on each wheel. Wheel loads (W) shall be applied uniformly on
tire contact areas.
NOTE A1.3—Construction vehicles that exceed AASHTO design truck or design tandem loads must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
A1.1.3 Design Lane Load—The design lane load shall be applied as a uniform load of 64 lb/ft2 occupying the full ground
surface above the chamber. The service design lane load shall not be distributed for out-of-plane effects nor shall it be increased
or reduced for any other effect.
iTeh Standards
A1.1.4 Tire Contact Area (Ac)—Wheel load shall be applied at the ground surface over tire contact areas. The tire contact area
shall be a single rectangle whose width (ww) is 20 in. and whose length (lw) is 10 in. as in Figs. A1.1 and A1.2. The tire pressure

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shall be uniformly distributed over the contact area. The contact area is calculated in Eq A1.1.
Ac 5 wwlw (A1.1)

where:
A c = tire contact area = 200 in. ,
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ww = tire width = 20 in., and

lw = tire length = 10 in.
ASTM F2787-11
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A1.2 Service Limit State—Live load calculated in this Annex is used to design for the service limit state. Service live load
calculation follows:
A1.2.1 Multiple Presence Factor (m)—A factor of 1.2 shall be applied to live load to account for the probability of an
overloaded vehicle.
NOTE A1.4—Typical available stormwater chamber classifications have critical live load at low cover heights, where there is negligible interaction
between multiple vehicles. A multiple presence factor greater than 1.0 results from statistical calibration of live load on the basis of pairs of vehicles
instead of a single vehicle. Therefore, when a single vehicle is present, it can be heavier than each one of a pair of vehicles and still have the same
probability of occurrence. It is therefore appropriate to use the multiple presence factor, which accounts for the probability of overloaded design vehicle,
for this single-lane load condition.
A1.2.2 Dynamic Load Allowance (IM)—The dynamic load allowance shall be taken as in Eq A1.2. The dynamic load allowance
shall be included in the magnitude of the service live load for chamber design but shall be excluded from the magnitude of the
service live load for design of the chamber foot bearing and for all other foundation design.

S h
D
IM 5 33 1.0 – 0.12512 $ 0 % (A1.2)

FIG. A1.2 Characteristics of Design Tandem

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iTeh Standards
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ASTM F2787-11
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NOTE—Single wheel refers to half an axle. The figure assumes no interaction between wheels in an axle and wheels from different axles.
FIG. A1.3 Live Load Distribution for a Single Wheel in Two-Dimensional Finite Element Model

where:
IM = dynamic load allowance, 0 # IM # 33 % (%), and
h = height of soil cover over the chamber (in.).
A1.2.3 Live Load (LL)—Live load shall include the critical design vehicle (truck or tandem) applied simultaneously with the
design lane load as provided conceptually in Eq A1.3. The live load due to the design truck or design tandem shall be as calculated
in Eq A1.4. The truck or tandem live load shall be applied uniformly on the tire contact area or the live load patch area. The design
lane load shall be as provided in Eq A1.5. The lane load shall be applied as a uniform surface pressure.

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