Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1997

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Civil Engineering

Major Professor

Edwin G. Burdette

Committee Members

J. Harold Deatherage, David W. Goodpasture

Abstract

Integral abutments are used by many states as a standard design for short to medium span bridges. Their widespread use can be attributed to many factors including cost effectiveness, ease of maintainability, and constructability. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is no exception. The same factors which make integral abutments advantageous for short to medium spans also make them desirable for longer spans. Unfortunately, high stresses, encountered when designing for longer spans, are difficult to justify using current design specifications because of the lack of knowledge regarding the pile-abutment interface and pile soil interaction. This lack of knowledge led to field research currently being conducted by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville under contract with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The integral abutment field research consists of an integral abutment which is cast atop a single steel H-pile. The integral abutment will be subjected to slowly applied lateral loads to achieve deflections typical of those experienced by thermal expansion. A total of six tests will be performed, three with a target deflection of 1/2” and three with a target deflection of 1”. Results from the test are not yet available but preliminary analysis of the abutment indicates that the concrete in the abutment will fail before a 1/2” deflection is reached. Observation will confirm, first, whether the prediction is correct and , second, whether the failure will be catastrophic or if the abutment will be capable of further deflection without losing its structural integrity.

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