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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Roads and Bridges

Abutment

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

/əˈbʌtmənt/nounAdvanced term

In civil engineering & construction, abutment means: The support at each end of a bridge that carries the deck and holds back the soil of the approach embankment.

In Turkish: kenar ayak, köprü kenar ayağı

How it is used

Abutments stand on footings or piles and usually include the bearings and wing walls. Engineers check them for both the vertical load from the deck and the horizontal earth pressure behind them.

Example sentences

  1. The north abutment is founded on rock, but the south one needs piles.

  2. The backfill behind the abutment is placed in thin layers.

Common collocations

  • bridge abutment
  • abutment wall
  • wing walls
  • integral abutment
  • pierAn intermediate support of a bridge between its two ends, usually a concrete column or wall that carries the deck loads down to the foundations.
  • bridge deckThe part of a bridge that forms the road or path surface and carries the traffic, supported by beams, girders, cables or arches.
  • bearingA device placed between a bridge deck and its supports that transfers loads while allowing controlled movement and rotation, for example from temperature changes.
  • backfillSoil or granular material placed back into an excavation around foundations, pipes or walls after they have been built; also the act of filling it.
  • pileA long column of concrete or steel that is driven or drilled deep into the ground to carry a structure's load down to stronger soil or rock.

More terms: Roads and Bridges

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