8/30/2018 Bridge ABUTMENT DESIGN TUTORIAL

Home About . Projects . Contact . Welcome Bridge Design . Design Notes . Calculations . Spreadsheets
Tutorials Workshop Resources

Bridge Design & Assessment

Go

Menu

Home About . Projects . Contact . Welcome Bridge Design . Design Notes . Calculations . Spreadsheets
Tutorials Workshop Resources . Codes & Books . Bridge Pictures . Links . Site Map

× close menu

You are here: Home » Bridge Design » Tutorials » Abutment Design

⇑ Scroll to top

Abutment Design to BD 30 and EN 1997-1

Index

1.Earth pressures

2.Abutment Construction

3.Loading

4.Stability

5.Design Example to BD 30 or EN 1997-1

1.Earth Pressures

Active earth pressures (Kaγ h) are considered to ensure that the abutment is stable.
At rest earth pressures (Koγ h) are considered to ensure that the structural elements are adequate.
Passive earth pressures (Kpγ h) are only considered for integral abutments or where shear keys are
provided.

At rest pressures are initially developed on the back of the abutment wall during construction and whilst the
backfill is compacting. Consequently the structural elements have to be designed to resist the effects of these
pressures.
Any movements in the structure caused by the at rest pressure, either through rotation or deflection will
reduce the pressure on the back of the wall; a state of equilibrium is reached when the pressure reduces to the
active earth pressure value. Consequently the stability of the structure can be checked by using active earth
pressures.
Passive pressures are developed when the structure pushes against the soil. Since movements required to
develop passive pressures are considerably greater than that for active pressures, and the structure is
designed to ensure that the foundations do not slide under active pressures, then it is unlikely that passive

http://www.bridgedesign.org.uk/tutorial/abutmentu.html 1/6
8/30/2018 Bridge ABUTMENT DESIGN TUTORIAL

pressures will be developed in front of the abutment. The magnitude of movement required to mobilise
passive pressure can be determined from EN 1997-1:2004 Clause C.3(2) and PD 6694-1:2011 Clause 7.5.
There is also the chance that, at some time in the future, the soil in front of the abutment may be removed
temporarily. This could happen if services, such as drainage pipes, water or gas mains, are installed or
repaired in front of the abutment. Consequently the structure needs to be designed to be stable with no soil in
front of the concrete footings.
If shear keys are required to prevent sliding then the key should be located under the rear half of the base and
a factored value of passive pressure is used.
Integral bridges experience passive pressures on the back of the abutment wall when the deck expands. The
design of integral abutments is covered in BA 42, PD 6694-1 and a number of publications, such as Integral
Abutments for Prestressed Beam Bridges by B A Nicholson, and Composite Highway Bridge Design by D C
Iles give guidance and examples.

2.Abutment Construction

Departmental Standard BD 30 gives recommendations for the layout of backfilled cantilever retaining walls
with spread footings or piled foundations.
The layout of the abutment will have implications on the design which need to be considered.

The provision of a drainage layer will allow porewater pressures to be ignored (unless there is a possibility of
a large water main bursting). However the drainage layer separates the backfill soil from the wall so back of
wall friction should not be included. Traffic vibration will also affect any vertical friction effects on the back
of the wall.

Foundation level is usually set at least one metre below ground level to avoid deterioration of the foundation
material through frost action. If services, such as gas pipes, water mains, electricity cables etc., may be
installed in front of the abutment wall then the depth to foundation level may need to be increased to allow
the services to be installed above the concrete footing.

It is usual to provide granular backfill to the back of the wall which limits the material to Class 6N or 6P as
defined in the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works Volume 1 Specification Series 600 Clause
610 and Table 6/1. A typical value for the effective angle of internal friction (ϕ') for Class 6N or 6P material
is 35o. This equates to serviceability limit state values of:

Ka = (1-Sinϕ') / (1+Sinϕ') = 0.27

http://www.bridgedesign.org.uk/tutorial/abutmentu.html 2/6
8/30/2018 Bridge ABUTMENT DESIGN TUTORIAL

Ko = (1-Sinϕ') = 0.43

3.Loading

Loading from the deck is applied to the abutment through the bearings. Maximum vertical bearing loads are
obtained from the deck analysis; these loads, together with the type of restraint required to support the deck,
will dictate the type of bearing provided.

Horizontal loads from the deck are produced by wind loading, temperature effects, creep movements,
traction, braking and skidding loads, collision loads when high level of containment parapets are used, and
centrifugal loads if the horizontal radius of curvature of the carriageway is less than 1000 metres when using
BS 5400-2, or 1500 metres when using EN 1991-2.
Longitudinal loads from temperature effects in the deck will be determined according to the type of bearing
used. Elastomeric bearings are effectively 'glued' in place between the deck soffit and the abutment bearing
plinth so that the bearing has to distort when the deck expands and contracts. The longitudinal force
produced by this distortion is proportional to the shear stiffness of the bearing and the magnitude of the
movement.

Sliding bearings, on the other hand, produce a longitudinal load which is proportional to the dead(permanent)
load reaction and the coefficient of friction between the sliding surfaces. The cofficient of friction (μ) varies
between 0.01 and 0.08 depending on the type of bearing and bearing stress (see BS 5400 Part 9:1, Tables 2
and 3).

Free abutment with sliding bearings

http://www.bridgedesign.org.uk/tutorial/abutmentu.html 3/6
8/30/2018 Bridge ABUTMENT DESIGN TUTORIAL

Both abutments with elastomeric bearings only

Free abutment with elastomeric bearings

The longitudinal load from the temperature effect will act equally on both abutments. If sliding bearings are
used then the load transmitted is equal to the friction at the bearing under dead and superimposed dead loads
(permanent actions). If elastomeric bearings are used then the load transmitted is equal to the force required
to distort the bearing by the distance the deck expands or contracts.

Free abutment with sliding or elastomeric bearings

Both abutments with elastomeric bearings only

The deck is very stiff in the axial direction so horizontal loads will have negligible effect on the length of the
deck. Hence longitudinal loads due to traction, braking and skidding are assumed to be transmitted to the

http://www.bridgedesign.org.uk/tutorial/abutmentu.html 4/6
8/30/2018 Bridge ABUTMENT DESIGN TUTORIAL

fixed abutment only. If only elastomeric bearings are used, i.e. there is no fixed abutment, then the loads due
to traction, braking and skidding are shared between the two abutments.

Transverse loads on the deck will be transmitted to the abutment through the fixed and sliding-guided
bearings only. These loads are unlikely to have an effect on the stability of a full height abutment, but the
bearing plinths need to be designed to resist the loads. The stability of small abutments, such as bank seats,
may need to be checked for these loads.
Live loading at the rear of the abutment is represented by a surcharge loading (see BS 5400 Part 2:2006
clause 5.8.2 or PD 6694-1:2011 clause 7.6). Traction, braking and skidding loads at the rear of the abutment
are not required to be considered when using EN 1991-2:2003 (see clause 4.9.2). The curtain wall (also
called upstand wall or ballast wall) does however need to be designed for braking forces.

Vehicle collision on abutments need not normally be considered as they are assumed to have sufficient mass
to withstand the collision loads for global purposes (See BD 60/04 clause 2.2, or NA to BS EN 1991-1-
7:2006 clause NA.2.13).

4.Stability

Stability of the abutment is determined by considering:

Sliding
Overturning
Failure of the foundation soil
Slip failure of the surrounding soil

A comprehensive Ground Investigation Report is essential for the design of the bridge structure. Boreholes
need to provide information about the nature of the ground below the foundations. Adequate sampling and
testing also need to be carried out to obtain design parameters for allowable bearing pressures, together with
friction and cohesion values of the soil at foundation level.

When using BD 30 sliding and overturning effects are calculated using nominal loads and active earth
pressures. A factor of safety of 2.0 is used to ensure that the abutment is stable against sliding and
overturning.
When using EN 1997-1:2004 stability needs to be considered at serviceability and ultimate limit states.

Several load cases need to be considered to ensure all loading conditions are catered for.

Construction sequences also need to be considered. The abutment wall will often be constructed and
backfilled up to bearing shelf level; this provides good access for the deck construction. A surcharge load can
be applied to the wall by the construction plant used to compact the backfill. This surcharge load, together
with the active backfill earth pressures, will be acting on the back of the wall without the stabilising effects
of the dead load from the deck and can result in a critical loading case.

http://www.bridgedesign.org.uk/tutorial/abutmentu.html 5/6
8/30/2018 Bridge ABUTMENT DESIGN TUTORIAL

Allowable bearing pressures are obtained from the Ground Investigation Survey. An allowable pressure is
usually determined to limit settlement to about 20 to 25mm. An alternative is provided in EN 1997-1:2004 to
limit the maximum SLS pressure under the foundation to a fraction of the ground strength; PD 6694-1:2011
clause 5.2.2 clarifies this fraction to be one third. As the allowable pressure will be dependent on the size of
foundation and loads applied then there will need to be an initial assessment of the loads and foundation
sizes before an allowable pressure can be given. This results in some redesigning until the correct base size,
applied loads and allowable bearing pressures are obtained.

BS 8002 says that instability of the earth mass involving a slip failure may occur where:

the wall is built on sloping ground which itself is close to limiting equilibrium; or
the structure is underlain by a significant depth of clay whose undrained strength increases only
gradually with depth; or
the strata is founded on a relatively strong stratum underlain by weaker strata; or
the structure is underlain by strata within which high pore water pressures may develop from natural or
artificial sources.

If none of these conditions are present then a slip failure analysis will not be necessary.

Design Example to Eurocodes | Design Example to BD 30 | Back to Tutorial Index

Last Updated : 21/05/15

Contact David Childs

David Childs B.Sc, C.Eng, MICE

Home
Cookie Info
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
About
Projects
Contact
Welcome
Bridge Design
Design Notes
Calculations
Spreadsheets
Tutorials
Workshop
BS5400 & DMRB
Eurocodes
Resources
Codes & Books
Bridge Pictures
Links
Site Map
http://www.bridgedesign.org.uk/tutorial/abutmentu.html 6/6