Influence of Facing on the Performance of GRS Bridge Abutments

The paper reports the construction and surcharge load testing of two large-scale GRS bridge abutment models in an outdoor test station to investigate the influences that the facing type used could have on their load-bearing performance. The facing types examined included commonly used concrete masonry units (CMU) and much larger solid concrete blocks. Reinforcement spacing was kept at 200 mm in both models within the FHWA recommendations. Results show that using large facing blocks in the model abutment led to significant improvements in its load–deformation performance relative to that of the model with the CMU facing alternative. It is concluded that even though the structural contribution of facing is not relied upon in the FHWA guidelines, large-block facing construction could help improve the structural performance of GRS abutments in GRS-IBS projects.