Analysis of Integral Bridges by Finite Element Method

As temperatures change daily and seasonally, the spans of integral bridges increase and decrease, pushing the abutment against the approach fill and pulling it away. As a result the bridge superstructure, the abutment, the approach fill, the foundation piles and the foundation soil are all subjected to cyclic loading, and understanding their interactions is important for effective design and satisfactory performance of integral bridges. In this study, a finite element analysis has been performed to gain insight into the interactions between integral abutments, approach fills, foundation piles and foundation soils. The finite element analyses indicate appreciable rotations occur in integral abutments, resulting in the shear and moment reductions in the piles.