Structural plates and methods of constructing arch-shaped structures using structural plates

A taper member for securing a pair of structural plates for constructing a buried structure, the structural plates having corrugations extending transversely along a longitudinal direction of the buried structure, the taper member comprising:

• a first taper plate configured to interconnect, via circumferential taper member edges, the pair of structural plates along respective circumferential structural plate edges, the first taper plate having a taper plate width progressively decreasing from a first longitudinal taper plate edge to a second longitudinal taper plate edge;
• and
• an adjacent taper plate having an adjacent longitudinal taper plate edge positioned at an overlap interface with the second longitudinal taper plate edge, wherein the adjacent taper plate is configured to interconnect with the pair of structural plates along the respective circumferential structural plate edges,
• and wherein the respective taper plates are unfastened at the overlap interface from the adjacent taper plate.

A method of constructing a buried structure comprising:

• constructing a plurality of structural rings, the structural rings including structural plates coupled at longitudinal structural plate edges of an adjacent longitudinal structural plate edge, the structural plates having corrugations extending transversely along a longitudinal direction of the buried structure;
• positioning the plurality of structural rings adjacent to another structural ring;
• and
• positioning a taper member to interconnect, via circumferential taper member edges, the pair of structural plates along respective circumferential structural plate edges, the taper member having a taper member width progressively decreasing from a first longitudinal taper member edge to a second longitudinal taper member edge,
• wherein the buried structure is configured to extend along the longitudinal direction in a non-linear path based on a separation distance between the adjacent circumferential structural plate edges of the respective structural plates corresponding to the progressively decreasing taper member width.