BULACAN STATE UNIVERSITY

City of Malolos, Bulacan

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Civil Engineering Department
2nd Semester, School Year 2017-2018

BRIDGE FOUNDATION

INTRODUCTION

 Foundation (or more commonly known as base) is the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below
ground level.
 It is the part constructed under the pier or abutment and over the underlying soil or rock. The loads
transmitted by the foundation to the underlying soil must not cause shear failure or damaging settlement
of the superstructure. A structure built to support the lateral pressure of an arch or span, e.g., at the ends
of a bridge is called abutment.
 It must be sufficiently deep so that it is not affected by the scour caused by the flow in river and does not
undermined.

PURPOSE OF BRIDGE FOUNDATION

 To distribute the load of bridge over a large bearing area and provide stability of bridge against settlement
and tilting.
 It is provided sufficiently deep so that it not affected by scouring.

TYPES OF BRIDGE FOUNDATIONS

 The choice of bridge foundation depends upon the importance of bridge, size, nature of soil and sub-soil in
the bed and velocity of water flow. Foundations are grouped under:
1. Shallow Foundation. Spread and raft foundation
2. Deep Foundation. Pile, well, and caisson foundation

SHALLOW FOUNDATION

A. Spread Foundation
 Spread foundation is generally constructed for culverts that may be provided for small bridges when
bed is of rock or of soil having good bearing capacity.
 It is suitable when flow in stream is less and hence the scouring effect is less and constructed with stone
or bricks masonry.
B. Raft Foundation
 Raft or mat foundation is suitable for small bridges when bed contains different types of soil. And it
may be provided when bearing capacity of soil is less.

DEEP FOUNDATION

 Deep foundations are those in which the depth of the foundation is very large in comparison to its
width and which are not constructed by ordinary methods of open pit excavations.
 It is used in cases where:
1. The strata of good bearing capacity is not available near the ground. A layer or series of layers of
rock in the ground is known as stratum.
2. The space is restricted to allow for spread footings.
A. Pile Foundation
 For road bridges, this had been used mostly as timber pile for temporary bridges and where subjected
to lighter loads.
Ex. The use of foundation for bridges in India
B. Well Foundation
 Well foundations are constructed on dry ground suitable form and then sunk into the ground to the
desired level by grabbing the soil through dredge holes provided, surrounded by the solid masonry like
stone and bricks
 Well foundation is suitable when heavy loads are applied on the bridge.
Components of Well Foundation
a.) Cutting Edge
b.) Well Curb
 The structure of well at the bottom is tapered to end in a steel ‘cutting edge’ which
facilitates cutting through soil for sinking of well. This tapering portion being thin, it
has to be strengthened suitably to take up the heavy loading. This portion is called
well curb.

He is like a man building a house who digs deep and lays the
foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against
that house, it stands firm because it is well built – Luke 6:48 NIV
 c.) Bottom Plug
 The concrete placed at the bottom to form the base of foundation for distributing
the load to soil below, is known as bottom plug.
d.) Send Filling
e.) Bond Rod
f.) Steining
 The structure in the form of well surrounding the dredge holes, is known as steining.
g.) Top Plug
 The concrete placed at the top, at finishing level, to transmit the load of structure to
the well steining, is known as top plug.
h.) Well Cap
i.) Pier and Peir Cap
Types of Well Foundation
a) Circular Well e) Double Rectangular Well
b) Double-D Well f) Dumb Bell
c) Double Octagonal Well g) Multi Dredge Hole Well
d) Rectangular Well
C. Caisson Foundation
 The caisson, means box, is a huge box made up of reinforced concrete.
 Caissons are water light structures, employed where the foundation is under water and constructed
for foundation of bridges, piers, abutments in river, dock structure and share protection etc.
 The caisson remains in its position and ultimately becomes as integral parts of the permanent structure.
 Caisson foundation is suitable when depth of water in the river is more and quality of bed soil is good.
(best for a depth of 20m)
Classification of Caisson Foundation
a.) Box Caisson (Floating Caisson)
 It is like a box that is open on the topside and the other sides are closed.
b.) Open Caisson
 It is like a well that is open on the top and bottom ends. Bottom edges are made
sharp.
 During digging and sinking the inside material is taken out.
 It is used in soft soil and in high water level.
c.) Pneumatic Caisson
 It is special type of caisson that is suitable for heavy bridges.
 These is a working chamber made at its lower end and sealed at the top. A pressure
higher than water pressure id maintained in the working chamber with the help of
compressed air. Thus water not entered in the chamber and excavation work is
continued in dry conditions.

IDEAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BRIDGE SITE

1. Suitable, unyielding, non-erodible material for foundation should be present at short depth for piers or
abutments.
2. The bearing strata should be free from the tendency to slip/slide/sink under load.
3. The stream at bridge site should be well defined, as narrow as possible.
4. There should be straight reach of steam at bridge site.
5. The site should have firm, permanent, straight and high banks.
6. The flow of water in stream at the bridge should be steady.
7. It should be feasible to have straight approach road and square alignment.
8. There should be minimum obstruction of water to have minimum afflux. A flow of something, especially
water or air, is called afflux.
9. There should be no need for costly river training works in vicinity of bridge site.
10. At bridge site it should be possible to provide secure and economical approaches.
11. In order to have minimum foundation cost the bridge site should be no excessive work carried out
inside water.
12. In order to achieve economical work, there should be easy availability of labour, transport facilities,
construction materials in the vicinity of bridge site.

GEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION OF BRIDGE FOUNDATION

 Whenever the bridge is constructed across any natural depression, the sound rock should not be at a large
depth below the walls and floor of such a depression.
 Foundation and abutment rocks should be strong enough to bear the load of the bridge structure as well
as the vehicular traffic above.

He is like a man building a house who digs deep and lays the
foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against
that house, it stands firm because it is well built – Luke 6:48 NIV
 If the bridge lies across the river channel, the erosive action of the running water should not be so
conspicuous as to cause the wear and tear of the piers or foundation.
 Foundation rock should be free from shear zones, fissures and joints.
 Most rocks of igneous origin are suitable for bridge foundation.
 Amongst sedimentary rocks, compact beds of sandstone, conglomerate and breccia are suitable for taking
the load of the bridge structure and traffic.

NOTES (SOURCE):

Shubham Dabhade. Bridge Foundation. http://www.slideshare.net/mobile/9175764125/bridge-foundation-38556396

Muhamad Naeem. Bridge Foundation. http://www.slideshare.net/mobile/ghulamyasingazer/bridge-foundation-32855216

Kolaterahul. Geology in Bridge Construction. http://m.authrstream.com/presentation/kolaterahul-1468592-geology-bridge-construction/