CHAPTER 11 - ABUTMENTS, WING WALLS, PIERS AND RETAINING WALLS

DS Temple 11.1 SCOPE

This section covers the inspection and monitoring of Reinforced Concrete Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls. It also covers the special attention which must be given by the engineers monitoring staff to the specific requirements of setting out of these major bridge elements, the special requirements (as noted elsewhere in this manual) for excavations, backfill, falsework and formwork, reinforcement, concrete and ancillary components relating to these elements. 11.2 11.2.1 ABUTMENTS, WING WALLS, PIERS AND RETAINING WALLS Setting Out (Refer to Chapter 3)

In addition to the requirements of Chapter 3 the following should be checked as being specifically relevant to these bridge elements. 11.2.1.1 Levels Top of blinding. Top of foundations. Top of abutment bridge seat and piers for bearings. Adjustments may have to be made for precamber of decks (refer to Chapter 6). Top of wing walls and retaining walls. 11.2.1.2 Setting out Points Centre line of bearings on abutments and piers to verify span lengths on drawings. Front face of wing walls and retaining walls to road centerline for final horizontal clearances as applicable. 11.2.2 Foundations (Refer to Chapter 4 & 5)

The foundations for these substructures should be verified in accordance with the requirements of the adequacy of the bearing strata for spread footings in accordance with Chapter 4. The monitoring staff must ensure that any required measures such as foundation fill, mass concrete, etc have been carried out before the foundations are constructed. Ensure that the contractor has pumps available to dewater foundation excavations as required. 11.2.3 Falsework & Formwork (Refer to Chapter 6)

Formwork should conform to the Project and Standard Specifications. The use of corner fillets and other finishing details are generally required and their provision must be checked. Provision should be made on retaining walls for a precamber towards the back of the wall to provide for deflection under earth loads.

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-1

 Propping and support of formwork against the sides of excavations should always be checked to ensure that the formwork remains in position during concreting. Striking of formwork and curing should be undertaken strictly in accordance with the Specifications. 11.2.4 Steel Reinforcement (Refer to Chapter 7)

In the case of river bridges the reinforcement cages should only be placed or fixed when the risk of flooding of the excavations is small. Should there be flooding of excavations before casting the foundations and after reinforcement has been fixed, the water should be pumped out and the formwork and the reinforcement thoroughly cleaned to ensure that no debris whatsoever is trapped in the foundations during casting. If it appears that movement of reinforcement has occurred in foundations or other parts of the sub-structures, the formwork should be removed and the reinforcement adjusted to fit. In some cases (columns and piers) reinforcement should be checked before the formwork is erected. The accuracy of placing of starter bars is critical, as it is impossible to correct incorrectly placed bars after the concrete is cast. Some sub-structures, especially slender columns, can be highly reinforced and special attention should be given to ensuring that the concrete can be properly placed and compacted. Cover to reinforcement is of critical importance for the buried parts of sub-structures as defects in this area are rarely seen until problems occur later in the life of the structure. 11.2.5 Concrete (Refer to Chapter 8)

The correct class and size of aggregate should be confirmed with the contractor before casting of substructure elements. The importance of the correct slump for the application should be carefully controlled and confirmed with the contractor. Low slump concrete in sub-structures is always preferred, however, a higher slump in members with highly congested reinforcement is recommended. Members of great height (either columns, piers or walls) require that great care be taken during casting. Generally columns and piers adjacent to roads should for aesthetic and structural reasons be cast in one lift. Only in cases where the designer grants specific approval or has specifically designed the column, pier or wall with a horizontal joint feature should the casting of the element be permitted in lifts. Repairs to concrete defects discovered after stripping should be repaired as soon as possible. This is so that the repair mortar will bond and blend with the parent concrete without differential shrinkage occurring. A method statement and concrete repair methodology should be submitted to the monitoring staff for review before the concrete work starts on the project so that the Engineer can authorize repairs timeously. 11.2.6 Backfill behind Abutments

It is always preferred (unless otherwise specified on the drawings or in the Specifications) to backfill behind abutments up to the bearing seat level before casting of the screen wall. This is to ensure that the expansion gap between the deck and abutment is not reduced if slight movement occurs.

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-2

The type, quality and compaction of selected backfill behind abutments and retaining walls are important factors in limiting settlement behind these structures and the engineers monitoring staff should therefore check that the quality and compaction of the backfill material conforms to the Project and Standard Specifications. Backfill with boulders should not be permitted as this will create local stress concentrations in the structures. Compaction of backfill material behind abutments and retaining walls should be carried out up to a distance of 3 meters from the concrete faces using hand operated compactors to the density as specified. 11.2.7 Ancillary Components (Refer to Chapter 14)

11.2.7.1 Bearings The monitoring staff should ensure that during the construction of sub-structure elements all bearing seats and tops of columns and piers are properly finished off (as described in Chapter 14) to the correct levels so that the bearings can be installed correctly. The contractor should submit shop drawings of bearings for review prior to manufacture. 11.2.7.2 Expansion Joints Most bridges are provided with closed expansion joint systems which are built into the decks and abutments at the level of the surfacing. These joints form the dual purpose of preventing debris from jamming the movement of the bridge and waterproofing the movement joints so that staining of the concrete surfaces and other parasitic effects do not occur. 11.2.7.3 Drainage Drainage behind substructures such as abutments, wing walls and retaining walls is of paramount importance. These structures are generally not designed to resist pore pressures and therefore the subsurface drainage systems including weepholes, drainage pipes, etc, must be installed properly and should be clean and in working condition when inspected.

Photo 11.1: Inadequate drainage at bridge abutments

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-3

The unnecessary ponding of water on abutment bearing seat beams should be avoided and the drainage pipes draining these areas must be properly installed and fit for purpose. If this is not checked, ponding can lead to unnecessary staining of the concrete and the promotion of parasitic effects such as Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR). 11.2.7.4 Services Service ducts for future and planned services (such as lighting) should be installed correctly inside the reinforcement as specified and indicated on the drawings. 11.3 INSPECTIONS

The engineers monitoring staff should use the abutment, wing walls, piers and retaining wall checklists or the checklists as provided for in the relevant Chapter of this Manual for each structural element of every substructure.

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-4

INDEX TO APPENDICES
APPENDIX 11A - ABUTMENTS APPENDIX 11B - WING WALLS APPENDIX 11C - PIERS APPENDIX 11D - RETAINING WALLS

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-5

APPENDIX 11A CONSTRUCTION MONITORING CHECKLIST ABUTMENTS CHECK LIST

PROJECT NO. / NAME: ....................................................................................................................................... INSPECTORS NAME(S): .................................................................................................................................... STRUCTURE: ........................................................... ACTIVITY AND DETAILS 1. SETTING OUT AND FOUNDING 1.1 Setting out 1.2 Foundations: Excavation safety Allowable bearing pressure Foundation Fill CONCRETE MIX DESIGNS 2.1 Review concrete mix designs FOUNDATIONS 3.1 Formwork 3.2 Reinforcement 3.3 Concrete tests ABUTMENT 4.1 Formwork 4.2 Reinforcement 4.3 Concrete tests 4.4 Concrete finish OTHER ITEMS 5.1 Tie into existing structures 5.2 Bearing plinths 5.3 Joint sealing 5.4 Bridge numbers 5.5 Drainage systems 5.6 Backfill 5.7 Bridge deck expansion joint recesses ELEMENT: .............................................................. APPROVAL
Y/N N/A

Comment

SIGNED

DATE

2. 3.

4.

5.

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-6

APPENDIX 11B CONSTRUCTION MONITORING CHECKLIST WING WALLS CHECK LIST

PROJECT NO. / NAME: ....................................................................................................................................... INSPECTORS NAME(S): .................................................................................................................................... STRUCTURE: ........................................................... ACTIVITY AND DETAILS 1. SETTING OUT AND FOUNDING 1.1 Setting out 1.2 Foundations: Excavation safety Allowable bearing pressure Foundation Fill CONCRETE MIX DESIGNS 2.1 Review concrete mix designs FOUNDATIONS 3.1 Formwork 3.2 Reinforcement 3.3 Concrete tests WING WALLS 4.1 Formwork 4.2 Reinforcement 4.3 Concrete tests 4.4 Concrete finish OTHER ITEMS 5.1 Tie into existing structures 5.2 Joint sealing 5.3 Bridge numbers 5.4 Drainage systems 5.5 Backfill 5.6 Bridge deck expansion joint recesses ELEMENT: .............................................................. APPROVAL
Y/N N/A

Comment

SIGNED

DATE

2. 3.

4.

5.

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-7

APPENDIX 11C CONSTRUCTION MONITORING CHECKLIST PIERS CHECK LIST

PROJECT NO. / NAME: ....................................................................................................................................... INSPECTORS NAME(S): .................................................................................................................................... STRUCTURE: ........................................................... ACTIVITY AND DETAILS 1. SETTING OUT AND FOUNDING 1.1 Setting out 1.2 Foundations: Excavation safety Allowable bearing pressure Foundation Fill CONCRETE MIX DESIGNS 2.1 Review concrete mix designs FOUNDATIONS 3.1 Formwork 3.2 Reinforcement 3.3 Concrete tests PIERS 4.1 Formwork 4.2 Reinforcement 4.3 Concrete tests 4.4 Concrete finish OTHER ITEMS 5.1 Tie into existing structures 5.2 Joint sealing 5.3 Bridge numbers 5.4 Drainage systems 5.5 Backfill ELEMENT: .............................................................. APPROVAL
Y/N N/A

Comment

SIGNED

DATE

2. 3.

4.

5.

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-8

APPENDIX 11D CONSTRUCTION MONITORING CHECKLIST RETAINING WALLS CHECK LIST

PROJECT NO. / NAME: ....................................................................................................................................... INSPECTORS NAME(S): .................................................................................................................................... STRUCTURE: ........................................................... ACTIVITY AND DETAILS 1. SETTING OUT AND FOUNDING 1.1 Setting out 1.2 Foundations: Excavation safety Allowable bearing pressure Foundation Fill CONCRETE MIX DESIGNS 2.1 Review concrete mix designs FOUNDATIONS 3.1 Formwork 3.2 Reinforcement 3.3 Concrete tests RETAINING WALLS 4.1 Formwork 4.2 Reinforcement 4.3 Concrete tests 4.4 Concrete finish OTHER ITEMS 5.1 Tie into existing structures 5.2 Joint sealing 5.3 Wall numbers 5.4 Drainage systems 5.5 Backfill 5.6 Expansion joins ELEMENT: .............................................................. APPROVAL
Y/N N/A

Comment

SIGNED

DATE

2. 3.

4.

5.

Abutments, Wing Walls, Piers and Retaining Walls

11-9