Bridge Engineering (5)

Substructure – Abutments and Piers

1. *Substructure
The portion of the bridge structure below the level of
the bearing and above the foundation is generally
referred to as substructure.
1.1 Piers: the support, usually of concrete or masonry, for the
superstructure of a bridge.
1.2 Abutments: the support for the end of a bridge span or late
ral support for the soil or rock on which the roadway res
ts immediately adjacent to the bridge, functioning as a pi
er and a retaining wall
1.3 Bed blocks over the piers and abutments
2. Piers
2.1 * Types of piers
2.1.1 solid: common for railroad bridges;
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Substructure – Abutments and Piers
2.1.2 cellular;
2.1.3 trestle;
2.1.4 hammer-headed: avoiding skew spans in passing over exi
sting highways or railroad tracks.
2.2 *Design requirements of piers
2.2.1 The general shape and features of a pier depend to a larg
er extent on the type, size and dimensions of the superstr
ucture and on the environment.
2.2.2 Solid and cellular piers should be provided with semicirc
ular cut waters to facilitate streamlined flow and to redu
ce scour;
2.2.2 Solid piers are of masonry or mass concrete;
2.2.3 Cellular, hammer-head and trestle piers are of reinforced
concrete;
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Substructure – Abutments and Piers
2.2.4 It is permissible to use stone masonry for the exp
osed portions and to fill the interior with lean con
crete, which would save expenses on shuttering an
d would also enhance appearance;
2.2.5 The cellular type permits saving in the quantity o
f concrete, but usually requires difficult shutterin
g and additional labor in placing reinforcements;
2.2.6 The trestle type consists of columns (usu. circular
or octagonal ) with a bent cap at the top.
2.2.7 In some recent designs , concrete hinges have bee
n introduced between the top of columns and the
bent cap in order to avoid moments being transfe
rred from the deck to the columns;  
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Substructure – Abutments and Piers
2.2.8 For tall trestles as in flyovers and elevated roads, connect
ing diaphragms between the columns may also be provid
ed;
2.2.9 Trestle design leads to minimum restriction of waterway.
2.2.10 The top width of piers depends on the size of the bearin
g plates on which the superstructure rests. It is usually ke
pt at a minimum of 600mm more than the out-to-out dim
ension of the bearing plates , measured along the longitu
dinal axis of the superstructure;
2.2.10 The length of piers at the top should be not less than 1.2
m in excess of the out-to-out dimension of the bearing pla
tes, measured perpendicular to the axis of the superstruc
ture.
2.2.11 The bottom width of piers is usually larger than the top
width so as to restrict the net stresses within the permissi
ble values;  
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Substructure – Abutments and Piers
2.2.12 It is normally sufficient to provide a batter of 1 in 25
on all sides for the portion of the pier between the bott
om of the bed block and the top of the well or pile cap
or foundation footing;
2.2.13 The main advantage in use of reinforced concrete fra
med type of piers is due to reduced effective span lengt
hs for girders on either side of the center line of the pie
r leading to economy in the cost of superstructure.
2.2.14 Caution in wide adoption of framed type of piers:
__ such framework would be conducive to accumulation o
f debris and especially floating trees if used in rivers s
ubjected to sudden floods near hills and forests;
__ such designs call for two expansion joints at close interv
als of about 1 to 2m on each pier, resulting in riding di
scomfort besides maintenance problems;
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Substructure – Abutments and Piers
__ the ends of the decking on either side of the pier center l
ine should be cantilevered beyond the bearings so that
one expansion joint would be adequate .
3. *Abutments
3.1 An abutment is the substructure which supports one ter
minus of the superstructure of a bridge and, at some ti
me, laterally supports the embankment which serves a
s an approach to the bridge.
3.2 The abutment can of masonry, plain concrete or reinfor
ced concrete .
3.3 An abutment generally consists of the following three di
stinct structural elements:
3.3.1 the breast wall which directly supports the dead and li
ve loads of the superstructure, and retains the filling of
the embankment in its rear;  
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Substructure – Abutments and Piers
3.3.2 the wing walls, which act as extensions of the bre
ast wall in retaining the fill though not taking any
loads from superstructure; and
3.3.3 the back wall, which is a small retaining wall just
behind the bridge seat, preventing the flow of mat
erial from the fill on to the bridge seat .
3.4 Design requirements of abutments
3.4.1 consisting in assuming preliminary dimensions d
epending on the type of the superstructure and fo
undation , and checking the stresses at the sill leve
l;
3.4.2 the front face of the breast wall should have a bat
ter of not less than 1 in 25 , preferably at 1 in 12.
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3.5 *Typical forms of reinforced concrete abutments
3.5.1 gravity abutments with wing walls;
3.5.2 U-abutment;
3.5.3 spill-through abutment
3.5.4 pile-bent abutment with stub wings;
3.5.5 others
3.5.5.1 with a gravity type breast wall;
3.5.5.2 the counterfort type;
3.5.5.3 the types to reduce the overturning moment due to e
arth pressure;
3.5.5.4 the type for overpasses over expressways to enhance
aesthetics;
3.5.5.5 the buried types more adaptable for overpasses with
side spans and sloping cuts.
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3.6 Failure of bridge abutments
3.6.1 The breast wall may fail by tensile cracks, crushing
or shear;
3.6.2 The wall may tilt forward due to excessive overturn
ing moment due to earth pressure;
3.6.3 The wall may slide forward due to earth pressure if
the vertical forces are inadequate;
3.6.4 Failures may occur along a curved surface by ruptu
re of the soil due to inadequate shear resistance.
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