A New Category of Semi-integral Abutment in China

The complex soil-structure interaction mechanism of the conventional integral bridge (or semi-integral bridge) causes some inherent problems, such as the increasing horizontal resultant earth forces on each abutment and the development of a settlement trough adjacent to each abutment (or each end-diaphragm of semi-integral bridge) during its service life. They can result in significant damage to structural components of the bridge and high costs of maintenance and/or remedy. In this paper, a new and simple concept of semi-integral abutment is developed, which can largely reduce the disturbance to the soil behind the abutment during thermal movement and thus build a steady and simple soil-structure system. The successful operation of the first semi-integral bridge in China proved that this new semi-integral abutment is safe and therefore highly recommended to be considered in all new bridge designs.