A wing wall (also "wingwall" or "wing-wall") is a smaller

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the super ...

attached or next to a larger wall or structure.

Bridges

In a bridge, the wing walls are adjacent to the

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining wall ...

s and act as

retaining wall Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides. Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...

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. Wing walls are provided at both ends of the abutments to retain the earth filling of the approaches. Their design depends upon the nature of the embankment and does not depend upon the type or parts of the bridge. 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 abutment or splayed at different angles. The wing walls are generally constructed at the same time and of the same materials as the abutments.

Classification of wing walls

Wing walls can be classified according to their position in plan with respect to banks and abutments. The classification is as follows: #Straight wing walls: used for small bridges, on drains with low banks and for railway bridges in cities (weep holes are provided). #Splayed wing walls: used for bridges across rivers. They provide smooth entry and exit to the water. The splay is usually 45°. Their top width is 0.5 m, face batter 1 in 12 and back batter 1 in 6, weep holes are provided.. #Return wing walls: used where banks are high and hard or firm. Their top width is 1.5 m and face is vertical and back battered 1 in 4. Scour can be a problem for wing walls and abutments both, as the water in the stream erodes the supporting soil.

Other uses

Wing walls provide smooth entry of water into the bridge site and provide support and protect the embankment. Wing walls can serve as

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...

es to support walls. They can also be purely decorative.

References

Types of wall Bridge components {{Engineering-stub.