Abutment

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An abutment is an end support of a bridge superstructure.

Abutments are used for the following purposes:

• to transmit the reaction of superstructure to the foundations
• to retain the earth filling
• to connect the superstructure to the approach roads

An abutment is also, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet.

Specifically, an abutment may be:

• the part of a structure that supports an arch
• the tooth adjacent to and connecting a bridge

Abutment is also a term used by civil engineers in dam construction; moving water from a large reservoir to a channel such as a spillway, there are smooth transition walls at both sides named abutments which minimize the water's energy loss.

Abutment is also a technical mathematical term; it means the final 'sheet' in a spectral sequence.

Abutment is also a dental term; tooth or teeth that support a fixed or removable bridge. It can be used between an implant and the crown.de:Widerlager eo:Abutmento