Abutment Configuration
Substructure allows selection of different types of abutment configuration and defining different abutment parameters as shown below.
Substructure differentiates abutment design as pile cap and stem wall design. Depending on which option is selected, an analytical model selection will be different. Substructure allows switching between abutment type anytime during the project to have the comparative analytical and design results. Individual configuration details are as follows:
Abutment Configuration Terms
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Start/End Elevation | Start and end elevation of top of back wall. It is the elevation at the top of cap. |
| Factor of Reduced Moment of Inertia | Used only in auto load generation. Program does not check if the section is cracked or not. If user wants to consider cracked section properties, this factor should be reduced manually. |
| Pile Cap Design | If user selects this option of design, program treats the cap like a beam supported by the normal or battered piles. |
| Stem Wall Design | If user selects this option, program treats stem like a wall and vertical reinforcement is designed considering biaxial moments. Click OK to define the abutment properties. Depending on the view, user needs to select down station or up station. For more information on view types, refer to the topic sign conventions in the Theory chapter. |
| Frame Analysis Method: | In the general Frame Analysis method used in Substructure, cap is modeled as a beam and piles/stem walls are modeled as columns. |
In the "Cap as continuous beam" option, the cap is analyzed as a continuous beam. To mimic the continuous beam" analysis for the cap, the axial stiffness of the piles is arbitrarily made very large only for the analysis. Please note this results into large axial forces at the bottoms of the piles under the Self Weight load case; the forces and moments shown at the bottom of the piles for the Self Weight case in the Analysis tab should be ignored. For this option, all out-of-plane forces and moments acting on the model are ignored in the analysis.
In the "Piles integral with cap" option, the piles, acting as columns and the cap are considered as part of an integral frame. The stiffness of the piles based on the actual material and cross-section dimensions are used in the analysis.