Pipeline Engineering

Corrugated HDPE Pipe Analysis

This tool is based on "Corrugated Plastic Pipe Handbook - Chapter 7: Structural Design," published by the Plastic Pipe Institute. It is designed to evaluate the structural capacity of buried corrugated HDPE pipes under various loading conditions. We have incorporated user-friendly reference features to simplify table searching and key parameter interpolation.

Imperial Metric

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Pipe Specifications

Outside Diameter of Pipe, Do

inch

Inside Diameter of Pipe, Di

inch

Long-term Creep Modulus of Pipe Material, Elt (Reference)

ksi

Short-term Creep Modulus of Pipe Material, Est (Reference)

ksi

Pipe Material Tensile Strength, Fy (Reference)

ksi

Moment of Inertia of Pipe Wall per Unit Length of Pipe, Ip

in⁴/in

Corrugation Gross Area per Unit Length of Pipe, Ag

in²/in

Stub Compression Test Capacity, Pst

lbf/in

Time Factor to Account for Design Load Duration, Kt (Reference)

Soil Properties

Trench Width at the Pipe Springline, Bd

Constrained Modulus of Embedment Materials, Msb (Reference)

psi

Constrained Modulus of Native Soils, Msn (Reference)

psi

Soil Support Combining Factor (Reference)

Dead Load & Hydrostatic Load

Height of Fill Above Top of Pipe, H

Moist Unit Weight of Soil, Ys

lb/ft³

Saturated Unit Weight of Soil, Ysat

lb/ft³

Maximum Expected Height of Groundwater Table Relative to Pipe Springline, Hw

Design Live Load

Live Load from Ground Surface Summed Across All Intersecting Wheels and Axles, Psurf

lbf

Multiple Presence Factor, m

Dynamic Load Allowance, IM

Wheel Center Spacing on Single Axle (Across Vehicle), Sw

Axle Center Spacing (Along Vehicle), Sa

Width of Ground Surface Tire Contact Area, Wt

Length of Ground Surface Tire Contact Area, Lt

Live Load Distribution Factor, LLDF

Vertical Pressure from Design Lane Load, Plane

lbf/ft²

Hoop Thrust Check

Resistance Factor for Soil Support, Φs

The Installation Factor, KγE

Soil Load Redundancy Factor, ηEV

Live Load Redundancy Factor, ηLL

Maximum Vertical Earth Dead Load Factor, γEVmax

Minimum Vertical Earth Dead Load Factor, γEVmin

Hydrostatic Load Factor, γWA

Live Load Factor, γLL

Coefficient to Account for Variation of Thrust Around Pipe Circumference, K2

1.0 for thrust at springline, = 0.6 for thrust when evaluated at the crown. The hoop thrust at the springline is the maximum.

Deflection Check

Bedding Coefficient, KB

Deflection Lag Factor, DL

Design Allowable Pipe Vertical Deflection, δ

Combined Hoop and Flexural Strain Design Check

Global Buckling Design Check

Flexibility Factor Check

Buoyant Force Design Check

Pipe Stiffness, PS psi (kPa)	Shape Factor, Df, for Given Pipe Embedment Material and Compaction Effort
	Gravel		Sand
	Dumped to Slight Compaction	Moderate to High Compaction	Dumped to Slight Compaction	Moderate to High Compaction
9 (62)	4.5	6.0	5.0	7.0
18 (124)	3.5	4.5	4.0	5.5
36 (248)	2.8	3.5	3.0	4.5
72 (496)	2.3	2.8	2.5	3.5

Gravel refers to GW, GP, GW-GC, GW-GM, GP-GC, and GP-GM soil classifications in Classes II and III, while sand refers to SW, SP, SM, SC, GM, and GC soil classifications in Class III or mixtures. Dumped to slight compaction is representative of less than 85% of maximum dry density per the standard Proctor test. Moderate to high compaction represents greater than or equal to 85% of maximum dry density per the standard Proctor test.

Fill Depth, H (ft)	Cooper E-80 Vertical Live Load Pressure at Top of Pipe, PL
Fill Depth, H (ft)	(psf)	(psi)
2	3,800	26.4
5	2,400	16.7
8	1,600	11.1
10	1,100	7.6
12	800	5.6
15	600	4.2
20	300	2.1
25	100	1.4

Ratio of Msn/Msb	Ratio of Total Trench (or Embedment Zone) Width at Pipe Springline to Mean Pipe Diameter, Bd/Do
Ratio of Msn/Msb	1.25	1.50	1.75	2.0	2.5	3.0	4.0
0.005	0.02	0.05	0.08	0.12	0.23	0.43	0.72
0.01	0.03	0.07	0.11	0.15	0.27	0.47	0.74
0.02	0.05	0.10	0.15	0.20	0.32	0.52	0.77
0.05	0.10	0.15	0.20	0.27	0.38	0.58	0.80
0.1	0.15	0.20	0.27	0.35	0.46	0.65	0.84
0.2	0.25	0.30	0.38	0.47	0.58	0.75	0.88
0.4	0.45	0.50	0.56	0.64	0.75	0.85	0.93
0.6	0.65	0.70	0.75	0.81	0.87	0.94	0.98
0.8	0.84	0.87	0.90	0.93	0.96	0.98	1.00
1	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
1.5	1.40	1.30	1.20	1.12	1.06	1.03	1.00
2	1.70	1.50	1.40	1.30	1.20	1.10	1.05
3	2.20	1.81	1.65	1.50	1.35	1.20	1.10
≥ 5	3.00	2.20	1.90	1.70	1.50	1.30	1.15

Granular Soils		Cohesive Soils		Constrained Modulus, Msn, psi (kPa)
Blow Count, N blows/ft (blows/m)	Description	Unconfined Compression Strength, qu, psi (kPa)	Description	Constrained Modulus, Msn, psi (kPa)
0 to 1 (0 to 3)	Very, very loose	0 to 0.4 (0 to 2.7)	Very, very soft	50 (344)
1 to 2 (3 to 6)	Very loose	0.4 to 0.9 (2.7 to 6.2)	Very soft	200 (1379)
2 to 4 (6 to 12)	Loose	0.9 to 1.7 (6.2 to 11.7)	Soft	700 (4826)
4 to 8 (12 to 24)	Loose	1.7 to 3.5 (11.7 to 24.1)	Medium	1,500 (10,342)
8 to 15 (24 to 45)	Slightly Compact	3.5 to 7.0 (24.1 to 48.2)	Stiff	3,000 (20,684)
15 to 30 (45 to 90)	Compact	7.0 to 14.0 (48.2 to 96.5)	Very Stiff	5,000 (34,473)
30 to 50 (90 to 150)	Dense	14.0 to 21.0 (96.5 to 144.8)	Hard	10,000 (68,947)
> 50 (> 150)	Very Dense	> 21.0 (> 144.8)	Very Hard	20,000 (137,895)

Time Period	Time Factor, Kt
Short-Term, Initial	0.9
50 Year	0.3
75 Year	0.25

Material	Pipe Specification	Minimum Cell Class	Design Strength, Fy, ksi (MPA)
			Short-Term	Long-Term
			Initial	50-Yr	75-Yr	100-Yr
HDPE	AASHTO M 294 (2015), ASTM F2306 (2015)	ASTM D3350 (2014) 435400C	3.0 (20)	0.9 (6.2)	0.9 (6.2)	0.8 (5.5)
PP	AASHTO M 330 (2013), ASTM F2881 (2015)	See requirement in AASHTO M330 (2013)	3.5 (24)	1.0 (6.9)	1.0 (6.9)	1.0 (6.9)

Material	Pipe Specification	Minimum Cell Class (2)	Modulus, ksi (MPA)
			Short-Term, Est	Long-Term, Elt
			Initial	50-Yr	75-Yr	100-Yr
HDPE	AASHTO M 294 (2015), ASTM F2306 (2015)	ASTM D3350 (2014) 435400C	110 (758)	22 (151)	21 (144)	20 (138)
PP	AASHTO M 330 (2013), ASTM F2881 (2015)	See requirement in AASHTO M330 (2013)	175 (1206)	29 (200)	28 (193)	27 (186)

PipeEng

Corrugated HDPE Pipe Analysis