11/14/2015

BridgeABUTMENTDESIGNTUTORIAL

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AbutmentDesigntoBD30andEN19971
Index
1.Earthpressures
2.AbutmentConstruction
3.Loading
4.Stability
5.DesignExampletoBD30orEN19971

1.EarthPressures
Activeearthpressures(Kah)areconsideredtoensurethattheabutmentisstable.
Atrestearthpressures(Koh)areconsideredtoensurethatthestructuralelementsare
adequate.
Passiveearthpressures(Kph)areonlyconsideredforintegralabutmentsorwhereshearkeys
areprovided.
Atrestpressuresareinitiallydevelopedonthebackoftheabutmentwallduringconstructionand
whilstthebackfilliscompacting.Consequentlythestructuralelementshavetobedesignedtoresist
theeffectsofthesepressures.
Anymovementsinthestructurecausedbytheatrestpressure,eitherthroughrotationordeflection
willreducethepressureonthebackofthewallastateofequilibriumisreachedwhenthepressure
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reducestotheactiveearthpressurevalue.Consequentlythestabilityofthestructurecanbechecked
byusingactiveearthpressures.
Passivepressuresaredevelopedwhenthestructurepushesagainstthesoil.Sincemovementsrequired
todeveloppassivepressuresareconsiderablygreaterthanthatforactivepressures,andthestructureis
designedtoensurethatthefoundationsdonotslideunderactivepressures,thenitisunlikelythat
passivepressureswillbedevelopedinfrontoftheabutment.Themagnitudeofmovementrequiredto
mobilisepassivepressurecanbedeterminedfromEN19971:2004ClauseC.3(2)andPD6694
1:2011Clause7.5.Thereisalsothechancethat,atsometimeinthefuture,thesoilinfrontofthe
abutmentmayberemovedtemporarily.Thiscouldhappenifservices,suchasdrainagepipes,wateror
gasmains,areinstalledorrepairedinfrontoftheabutment.Consequentlythestructureneedstobe
designedtobestablewithnosoilinfrontoftheconcretefootings.
Ifshearkeysarerequiredtopreventslidingthenthekeyshouldbelocatedundertherearhalfofthe
baseandafactoredvalueofpassivepressureisused.
Integralbridgesexperiencepassivepressuresonthebackoftheabutmentwallwhenthedeck
expands.ThedesignofintegralabutmentsiscoveredinBA42,PD66941andanumberof
publications,suchasIntegralAbutmentsforPrestressedBeamBridgesbyBANicholson,and
CompositeHighwayBridgeDesignbyDCIlesgiveguidanceandexamples.

2.AbutmentConstruction
DepartmentalStandardBD30givesrecommendationsforthelayoutofbackfilledcantileverretaining
wallswithspreadfootingsorpiledfoundations.
Thelayoutoftheabutmentwillhaveimplicationsonthedesignwhichneedtobeconsidered.

Theprovisionofadrainagelayerwillallowporewaterpressurestobeignored(unlessthereisa
possibilityofalargewatermainbursting).Howeverthedraingelayerseparatesthebackfillsoilfrom
thewallsobackofwallfrictionshouldnotbeincluded.Trafficvibrationwillalsoaffectanyvertical
frictioneffectsonthebackofthewall.

Foundationlevelisusuallysetatleastonemetrebelowgroundleveltoavoiddeteriorationofthe
foundationmaterialthroughfrostaction.Ifservices,suchasgaspipes,watermains,electricitycables
etc.,maybeinstalledinfrontoftheabutmentwallthenthedepthtofoundationlevelmayneedtobe
increasedtoallowtheservicestobeinstalledabovetheconcretefooting.

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ItisusualtoprovidegranularbackfilltothebackofthewallwhichlimitsthematerialtoClass6Nor
6PasdefinedintheManualofContractDocumentsforHighwayWorksVolume1Specification
Series600Clause610andTable6/1.Atypicalvaluefortheeffectiveangleofinternalfriction(')for
Class6Nor6Pmaterialis35o.Thisequatestoserviceabilitylimitstatevaluesof:
Ka=(1Sin')/(1+Sin')=0.27
Ko=(1Sin')=0.43

3.Loading
Loadingfromthedeckisappliedtotheabutmentthroughthebearings.Maximumverticalbearing
loadsareobtainedfromthedeckanalysistheseloads,togetherwiththetypeofrestraintrequiredto
supportthedeck,willdictatethetypeofbearingprovided.

Horizontalloadsfromthedeckareproducedbywindloading,temperatureeffects,creepmovements,
traction,brakingandskiddingloads,collisionloadswhenhighlevelofcontainmentparapetsareused,
andcentrifugalloadsifthehorizontalradiusofcurvatureofthecarriagewayislessthan1000metres
whenusingBS54002,or1500metreswhenusingEN19912.
Longitudinalloadsfromtemperatureeffectsinthedeckwillbedeterminedaccordingtothetypeof
bearingused.Elastomericbearingsareeffectively'glued'inplacebetweenthedecksoffitandthe
abutmentbearingplinthsothatthebearinghastodistortwhenthedeckexpandsandcontracts.The
longitudinalforceproducedbythisdistortionisproportionaltotheshearstiffnessofthebearingand
themagnitudeofthemovement.
Slidingbearings,ontheotherhand,producealongitudinalloadwhichisproportionaltothe
dead(permanent)loadreactionandthecoefficientoffrictionbetweentheslidingsurfaces.The
cofficientoffriction()variesbetween0.01and0.08dependingonthetypeofbearingandbearing
stress(seeBS5400Part9:1,Tables2and3).

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Freeabutmentwithslidingbearings

Bothabutmentswithelastomericbearingsonly

Freeabutmentwithelastomericbearings
Thelongitudinalloadfromthetemperatureeffectwillactequallyonbothabutments.Ifsliding
bearingsareusedthentheloadtransmittedisequaltothefrictionatthebearingunderdeadand
superimposeddeadloads(permanentactions).Ifelastomericbearingsareusedthentheload
transmittedisequaltotheforcerequiredtodistortthebearingbythedistancethedeckexpandsor
contracts.

Freeabutmentwithslidingorelastomericbearings

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Bothabutmentswithelastomericbearingsonly

Thedeckisverystiffintheaxialdirectionsohorizontalloadswillhavenegligibleeffectonthelength
ofthedeck.Hencelongitudinalloadsduetotraction,brakingandskiddingareassumedtobe
transmittedtothefixedabutmentonly.Ifonlyelastomericbearingsareused,i.e.thereisnofixed
abutment,thentheloadsduetotraction,brakingandskiddingaresharedbetweenthetwoabutments.

Transverseloadsonthedeckwillbetransmittedtotheabutmentthroughthefixedandslidingguided
bearingsonly.Theseloadsareunlikelytohaveaneffectonthestabilityofafullheightabutment,but
thebearingplinthsneedtobedesignedtoresisttheloads.Thestabilityofsmallabutments,suchas
bankseats,mayneedtobecheckedfortheseloads.
Liveloadingattherearoftheabutmentisrepresentedbyasurchargeloading(seeBS5400Part
2:2006clause5.8.2orPD66941:2011clause7.6).Traction,brakingandskiddingloadsattherearof
theabutmentarenotrequiredtobeconsiderwhenusingEN19912:2003(seeclause4.9.2).The
curtainwall(alsocalledupstandwallorballastwall)doeshoweverneedtobedesignedforbraking
forces.

Vehiclecollisiononabutmentsneednotnormallybeconsideredastheyareassumedtohave
sufficientmasstowithstandthecollisionloadsforglobalpurposes(SeeBD60/04clause2.2,orNA
toBSEN199117:2006clauseNA.2.13).

4.Stability
Stabilityoftheabutmentisdeterminedbyconsidering:
Sliding
Overturning
Failureofthefoundationsoil
Slipfailureofthesurroundingsoil
AcomprehensiveGroundInvestigationReportisessentialforthedesignofthebridgestructure.
Boreholesneedtoprovideinformationaboutthenatureofthegroundbelowthefoundations.
Adequatesamplingandtestingalsoneedtobecarrriedouttoobtaindesignparametersforallowable
bearingpressures,togetherwithfrictionandcohesionvaluesofthesoilatfoundationlevel.
WhenusingBD30slidingandoverturningeffectsarecalculatedusingnominalloadsandactiveearth
pressures.Afactorofsafetyof2.0isusedtoensurethattheabutmentisstableagainstslidingand
overturning.
WhenusingEN19971:2004stabilityneedstobeconsideredatserviceabilityandultimatelimit
states.
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Severalloadcasesneedtobeconsideredtoensureallloadingconditionsarecateredfor.

Constructionsequencesalsoneedtobeconsidered.Theabutmentwallwilloftenbeconstructedand
backfilleduptobearingshelflevelthisprovidesgoodaccessforthedeckconstruction.Asurcharge
loadcanbeappliedtothewallbytheconstructionplantusedtocompactthebackfill.Thissurcharge
load,togetherwiththeactivebackfillearthpressures,willbeactingonthebackofthewallwithout
thestabilisingeffectsofthedeadloadfromthedeckandcanresultinacriticalloadingcase.
AllowablebearingpressuresareobtainedfromtheGroundInvestigationSurvey.Anallowable
pressureisusuallydeterminedtolimitsettlementtoabout20to25mm.Analternativeisprovidedin
EN19971:2004tolimitthemaximumSLSpressureunderthefoundationtoafractionoftheground
strengthPD66941:2011clause5.2.2clarifiesthisfractiontobeonethird.Astheallowablepressure
willbedependentonthesizeoffoundationandloadsappliedthentherewillneedtobeaninitial
assessmentoftheloadsandfoundationsizesbeforeanallowablepressurecanbegiven.Thisresultsin
someredesigninguntilthecorrectbasesize,appliedloadsandallowablebearingpressuresare
obtained.
BS8002saysthatinstabilityoftheearthmassinvolvingaslipfailuremayoccurwhere:
thewallisbuiltonslopinggroundwhichitselfisclosetolimitingequilibriumor
thestructureisunderlainbyasignificantdepthofclaywhoseundrainedstrengthincreasesonly
graduallywithdepthor
thestrataisfoundedonarelativelystrongstratumunderlainbyweakerstrataor
thestructureisunderlainbystratawithinwhichhighporewaterpressuresmaydevelopfrom
naturalorartificialsources.
Ifnoneoftheseconditionsarepresentthenaslipfailureanalysiswillnotbenecessary.

DesignExampletoEurocodes|DesignExampletoBD30|BacktoTutorialIndex

LastUpdated:21/05/15
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DavidChildsB.Sc,C.Eng,MICE
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