Behavior of laterally loaded pile for integral abutment bridges

Integral construction is being used to reduce the maintenance cost and avoid problems associated with bridge deck joints. Continuous deck jointless bridges with joints only at abutments and integral bridges with no joints at abutments are two major types of integral constructions being adopted. Integral abutment bridges accommodate superstructure movements without conventional expansion joints. The current practices adopted by various state departments of transportation are evaluated to arrive at a rational design procedure for integral abutment bridges. An illustrative numerical design example of an integral abutment bridge is presented with emphasis on the pile-soil interaction, temperature, creep and shrinkage effects and varying soil strata. Important design parameters are identified concerning the selection and design of pile, use of predrilled hole, the type of fill in the predrilled hole, elevation of water table, soil type, and pile orientation. The effect of these parameters are analyzed using LPILE and FB-Pier computer programs.