Wing wall
Encyclopedia
A wing wall is a smaller wall
attached or next to a larger wall or structure.
, the wing walls are adjacent to the abutment
s and act as retaining wall
s.They are generally constructed of the same material as those of abutments. The wing walls can either be attached to the abutment or be independent of it.
The soil and fill supporting the roadway and approach embankment are retained by the wing walls, which can be at a right angle to the abument or splayed at different angles. The wing walls are generally constructed at the same time and of the same materials as the abuments. Scour
can be a problem for wing walls and abutments both, as the water in the stream erodes the supporting soil.
es to support walls. They can also be purely decorative.
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
attached or next to a larger wall or structure.
Bridges
In a bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
, the wing walls are adjacent to the abutment
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
s and act as retaining wall
Retaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
s.They are generally constructed of the same material as those of abutments. The wing walls can either be attached to the abutment or be independent of it.
The soil and fill supporting the roadway and approach embankment are retained by the wing walls, which can be at a right angle to the abument or splayed at different angles. The wing walls are generally constructed at the same time and of the same materials as the abuments. Scour
Bridge scour
Bridge scour is the removal of sediment such as sand and rocks from around bridge abutments or piers. Scour, caused by swiftly moving water, can scoop out scour holes, compromising the integrity of a structure....
can be a problem for wing walls and abutments both, as the water in the stream erodes the supporting soil.
Other uses
Wing walls can serve as buttressButtress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es to support walls. They can also be purely decorative.