End walls are retaining walls that support structures like bridges or culverts. They prevent erosion and can be made of concrete or masonry. Regular maintenance is important to prevent problems. Headwalls can also refer to high cliffs in geology.
An end wall is a retaining wall designed to support a structure such as a bridge or to provide retention for a culvert or storm drain. On bridges, the butt walls can be found at the bridge abutment where the bridge meets the land. End walls on culverts and other drainage projects are usually found around the outlet, and similar structures may also provide support at the entrance.
Concrete is a classic choice of material for an end wall because it is strong, durable, and very sturdy. Some end walls can be cast into place to fit the landscape, while other designs may use pre-fabricated end walls made to a standard shape and size. In both cases, the end wall holds soil, rock, and other materials so they don’t erode over time and compromise the integrity of the design that the end wall is designed to support.
Another option is masonry headboards made from brick, rock, and similar materials. Before the widespread use of concrete, masonry had to be used for retaining walls, and for this reason some older structures have masonry end caps. In other cases, people may think masonry is more aesthetically pleasing and may build a masonry end wall or face a concrete end wall with masonry.
Without an end wall, the dirt and rock around the structure could wear away with time. In the case of a bridge, this could lead to a bridge failure which could be catastrophic in nature. For drainage projects such as culverts, erosion of dirt and rock around the drain could block the culvert, preventing it from draining properly. This could lead to flooding at the other end of the culvert which could contribute to the development of further erosion problems.
The butt walls may need to be repaired or replaced periodically. They can crack or break due to seismic activity, for example. When a headwall requires replacement, a retrofit team can assess the situation and determine the best course of action to take. Regular maintenance including removing weeds from the end wall, checking for cracks and making sure the end wall remains properly sealed is important as it will allow people to prevent problems and identify problems early, when they will be much easier to deal with.
This term is also used in geology to refer to a specific part of a glacial formation. In this case, the headwalls are high, steep cliffs.
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