- published: 07 Nov 2008
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An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching roadway. This structure is basically a retaining wall designed to carry the loading conditions present in bridge structures. In architecture an abutment is formed of "solid masonry placed to resist the lateral pressure of a vault" (Nikolaus Pevsner). Specifically, an abutment may be the part of a structure that supports an arch.
An abutment supports the ends of a bridge superstructure. The intermediate supports in a multi-span bridge are known as piers. Abutment is also a term used by civil engineers in dam construction; moving water from a large reservoir to a channel such as a spillway, there are smooth transition walls at both sides named abutments which minimize the water's energy loss.
Abutments are used for the following purposes: