Bridge Piers: Types and Requirements

Hello, folks! Today, we will talk about bridge piers. This is a two-part article, and it's the first part. You will find the second part here.

Any bridge structure is a blend of two parts: substructure and superstructure. For bridges with bearings, all the segments which move the loads from bearing to the ground is called substructure.

Substructure comprises bridge pier, projections, wing dividers, piles and so on while the superstructure comprises deck, supports or any part on which the traffic moves securely, for example, street way, braces, curves, and so on. In this article we attempt to talk about the piers, its capacity and its sorts.

Bridge Pier bolster the ranges of the bridge and move the loads from superstructure to the establishment. Piers ought to be sufficiently able to take the both vertical and even load. Its principle work is to move the load from the bridge superstructure establishment underneath it.

They are exposed to immense hub loads and bi-hub minutes and shear powers transverse and longitudinal. Said that, piers are typically pressure components of a bridge. Piers are alluded to as Bents as well.

Bridge piers are intended for following structure limit states; Service Limit state ? Crack width, Stresses in cement and steel; Ultimate breaking point state ? Ultimate flexural limit, shear; Extreme Events ? Earthquake, Vessel and vehicle sway, weariness.

Necessities of Bridge Piers:

1. It ought to successfully move loads from Superstructure to establishment without disappointment.
2. It ought to withstand all power activities
3. The material for the piers ought to be effectively accessible
4. It ought to have a charming appearance.
5. Its structure ought to be basic.
6. The piers ought to be strong against enduring effects and erosion.
7. The expense of development ought to be modest.

8. It ought to have least fix and upkeep cost
9. It ought to have strength against the horizontal and longitudinal power activities, viz. Seismic, Wind, Ice, Currents, Impacts.

Types of Piers:

The kind of piers to be utilized in the bridge relies on the sort of bridge, sub-soil conditions just as the method received for the development of the bridge. The bridge can be extensively separated into two sections:

Solid piers: These piers have solid and impermeable structure. The by and large utilized materials utilized for the development of these kinds of piers are blocks, stone Masonry, mass cement or RCC, and so on. They might be additionally named:

a. Solid masonry piles
b. Solid RCC piles

Solid Masonry piers: The piers which are built with block masonry, stone masonry, concrete and so on are known as solid masonry piers. Now and again it is seen that in solid masonry piles the external segment is developed with the stone masonry and the inward part is loaded up with the assistance of mass cement. Along these lines it can spare the expense of development.

Solid RCC Piers: The solid piers which are developed with the fortification are called RCC piers. These piers are commonly rectangular in cross-area and are commonly utilized where the stature of the piers are more and the solid masonry piers won't be sufficiently able to tolerate the load and can be uneconomical.

Open piers: The piers which are open i.e which permits the water to go through the structure are called open piers. Open piers can be grouped into the accompanying kinds:

a. Cylindrical piers
b. Column bents
c. Trestle piers or Trestle bent
d. Pile bents
e. Special or Regular framed piers

For space and time constraints we will have to pause here for today. Don?t worry, you will find this discussion continuing in the next part of this article. You can find it here.

Read more - Bridge Piers: Types and Requirements - Part 2

Bridge Piers: Types and Requirements