Type of Pier

Pier is usually used as a general term for any type of substructure located between horizontal spans and foundations. However, from time to time, it is also used particularly for a solid wall in order to distinguish it from columns or bents. From a structural point of view, a column is a member that resists the lateral force mainly by flexure action whereas a pier is a member that resists the lateral force mainly by a shear mechanism. A pier that consists of multiple columns is often called a bent.

There are several ways of defining pier types. One is by its structural connectivity to the superstructure: monolithic or cantilevered. Another is by its sectional shape: solid or hollow; round, octagonal, hexagonal, or rectangular. It can also be distinguished by its framing configuration: single or multiple column bent; hammerhead or pier wall.

Selection Criteria

Selection of the type of piers for a bridge should be based on functional, structural, and geometric requirements. Aesthetics is also a very important factor of selection since modern highway bridges are part of a city’s landscape. Fig-1 shows a collection of typical cross section shapes for overcrossings and viaducts on land and Fig-2 shows some typical cross section shapes for piers of river and waterway crossings. Often, pier types are mandated by government agencies or owners.

Many state departments of transportation in the United States have their own standard column shapes. Solid wall piers, as shown in Fig-3a and Fig-4, are often used at water crossings since they can be constructed to proportions that are both slender and streamlined. These features lend themselves well for providing minimal resistance to flood flows.

Hammerhead piers, as shown in Fig-3b, are often found in urban areas where space limitation is a concern. They are used to support steel girder or precast prestressed concrete superstructures. They are aesthetically appealing. They generally occupy less space, thereby providing more room for the traffic underneath. Standards for the use of hammerhead piers are often maintained by individual transportation departments.

A column bent pier consists of a cap beam and supporting columns forming a frame. Column bent piers, as shown in Fig-3c and Fig-5, can either be used to support a steel girder superstructure or be used as an integral pier where the cast-in-place construction technique is used. The columns can be either circular or rectangular in cross section. They are by far the most popular forms of piers in the modern highway system.

A pile extension pier consists of a drilled shaft as the foundation and the circular column extended from the shaft to form the substructure. An obvious advantage of this type of pier is that it occupies a minimal amount of space. Widening an existing bridge in some instances may require pile extensions because limited space precludes the use of other types of foundations.

Selections of proper pier type depend upon many factors. First of all, it depends upon the type of superstructure. For example, steel girder superstructures are normally supported by cantilevered piers, whereas the cast-in-place concrete superstructures are normally supported by monolithic bents. Second, it depends upon whether the bridges are over a waterway or not. Pier walls are preferred on river crossings, where debris is a concern and hydraulics dictates it. Multiple pile extension bents are commonly used on slab bridges. Last, the height of piers also dictates the type selection of piers. The taller piers often require hollow cross sections in order to reduce the weight of the substructure. This then reduces the load demands on the costly foundations. Table-1 summarizes the general type selection guidelines for different types of bridges.