Engineering Term of the Month ABUTMENT
An abutment is the portion of a bridge that supports and anchors the ends of the structure or retains the approach embankment . The abutment tranfsers the loads from the superstructure to the substructure and ultimately to the ground below . Abutments are designed for strength and stability to withstand permanent and temporary loading conditons applicable to the structure .
The types of abutments for a bridge vary depending on requIrements of the bridge , environmental conditions , stability , longevity of the strucutre , and other factors such as soil and environemtnal conditions . Common types of abumtents include gravity abutments , cantilever abutments , or pile-supported abutments . Abutments are classified intergral or non-integral based on rigidity of the the connection to the superstructure . Abutments may be supported on soil , directly on bedrock , or on deep foundations ( piles ), and the benefits and drawbacks of each support conditon need to be considered in the design . Design of abutments needs to consider geometry , loading , movement , drainage , approaches and seismic effects .
� CalTrans Memos to Designers – 5-1 Abutments ( March 2017 ) � CalTrans Bridge Design Practice 11.1 – ( October 2022 ) � https :// www . dot . ga . gov / InvestSmart / Environment / CulturalResources / Documents / Bridge
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