Estimation of maximum scour depth around bridge piers under ice-covered conditions using data-driven methods

The scouring around bridge foundations is a significant concern in civil engineering. Several research has been conducted experimentally and numerically to study the maximum scour depth around the foundations of a bridge in open channel conditions. In cold regions, where ice forms on lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, the interaction between ice and hydraulic structures is further complicated. The flow distribution varies significantly leading to deeper and larger scouring around bridge foundations....     

Influence of large woody debris on sediment scour at bridge piers

Large woody debris(LWD) reduces the flow area,deviate the flow and increases the velocity in correspondence of the bridge pier,therefore increases the maximum scour hole depth and accelerates sediment removal.Logs and drifts accumulated on bridge piers are of different dimensions.According to logs characteristics and river morphology,drift accumulations can either extend downstream the bridge pier or they can accumulate totally upstream.This paper aims to analyze the effect of drift accumulation planimetry on bridge pier scour.The experimental investigation has been carried out at the PITLAB hydraulic centre of Civil Engineering Department,University of Pisa,Italy.Drift accumulation was characterized by different relative longitudinal lengths,flow area occlusions,length of longitudinal drift and downstream planimetrical positions relative to the pier center.The experimental investigation has been carried out in clear-water conditions.Several pier sizes,channel widths and sediment materials have been tested.Maximum scour hole in presence of drift accumulation have been compared to the maximum scour hole for an isolated pier.Finally,data were compared with previous literature findings,which highlight the effect of the downstream extension of drift accumulation on bridge pier scour.New relationships have been proposed to predict the effect of drift accumulation on bridge pier scour,both in terms of relative maximum scour and temporal scour evolution.     

Experimental study on local scour around single oblong pier fitted with a collar in a 180 degree flume bend

In this work, investigation on the development of local scour around an oblong pier in a 180 degree flume bend is presented. Scour hole can cause failure of the bridge especially during the river floods. In this study, the use of oblong collars for reducing the effects of local scour at a bridge pier is presented together with the time aspect of the scour development. Tests were conducted using one oblong pier in positions of 60degree under one flow conditions. The study was conducted using a physical hydraulic model operated under clear-water conditions in cohesionless bed material. In this study, the time development of the local scour around the oblong pier fitted with and without collar plates was studied. Investigated was the effect of size and elevation collar on the time development of scour and its efficacy at preventing scour at a bridge pier. The time development of the scour hole around the model pier with and without a collar installed was compared with similar studies on bridge piers. The results of the model study indicated that the maximum depth of scour is highly dependent on the experimental duration. It was observed that, as the minimum depth of scour occurs for the square collar at width of 3B placed at elevation of 0.1B below the bed and the size of a collar plate increases, the scour decreases. Measuring depth of scouring based on experimental observation, an empirical relation is developed with regression coefficient 95%.     

EFFECT OF DUNE MIGRATION ON SCOUR AT BRIDGE PIERS

This paper examines the effect of dune migration on local scour around bridge piers. Experiments show that local scour depths fluctuate in response to the translation of dunes past the scour hole. The scour depths measured in a model study conducted in live-bed conditions contain both scour due to the pier and that due to dunes. The con' tribution from scour due to the dunes may form a significant fraction of the total scour depth measured in model investigations. Therefore, it is imperative to separate these two components of scour for analysis and comparison. The study proposes that an equilibrium or time-average scour depth normalized using pier diameter be used for analysis, and the contribution from dunes to the total scour depth be added independently. Dune size, in the absence of field or measured data, may be estimated using published predictive curves. Comparisons between computed and measured scour depths show a good correlation, and 90% of all the data tested fall within a scatter of 15%.     

Bridge pier scour mitigation under steady and unsteady flow conditions

Watercourse morphology is affected by local scouring when the flow interferes with anthropic structures. Controlling the scour hole size is of predominant importance to guarantee bridge safety as well as to limit the variations of river morphology. A combined countermeasure against bridge pier scour is proposed and tested in order to reduce the maximum scour depth and deviate it away from the bridge foundation. In the first part of the laboratory campaign, combination of two countermeasures (bed-sill and collar) was evaluated for a circular pier under clear-water and live-bed steady flow conditions. The proposed combined countermeasure exhibited an efficiency of about 64% in terms of scour depth reduction. Afterwards, it was tested in unsteady flow conditions, first for a circular pier, then in the case of a rectangular pier with round nose and tail, two circular in-line piers and two rectangular in-line piers, under a hydrograph with a peak flow velocity slightly above the threshold condition of sediment motion. Results showed that the combined countermeasure had an efficiency of about 63% for a single circular pier; however, higher efficiency (about 75%) was obtained in applications to rectangular pier and two in-line circular or rectangular piers.     

Clear-water scour around semi-elliptical abutments with armored beds

Experimental study has been carried out under a clear-water scour condition to explore the local scour around semi-elliptical model bridge abutments with armor-layer bed, compared with the local scour process around semi-circular abutment. Two types of model bridge abutments, namely semi-elliptical and semi-circular abutments have been used in this experimental study. The model abutments had a ratio of streamwise length of abutment to the length of abutment transverse to the flow of 2 for semi-circular abutments and 3 for semi-elliptical abutments. In total, 50 Experiments have been designed and conducted under different flow conditions such as bed shear velocities, flow depth, and dimensions of bridge abutment model, as well as grain size of the bed material. Based on these experiments, the scour process around bridge abutments has been assessed. The dependence of the equilibrium scour depth of the scour hole on hydraulic variables has been studied. Empirical equation describing the equilibrium scour depth of the scour hole around bridge abutments has been developed.     

LOCAL SCOUR AROUND BRIDGE ABUTMENTS

1 INTRODUCTION The protrusion of a bridge abutment or a spur dike into the main channel creates a disturbance and obstruction to the otherwise equilibrium state of sediment transportation in an alluvial river. The flow accelerates and separates at the upstream face of the abutment as it moves past the obstacle, creating a vortex trail that moves downstream in a direction approximately perpendicular to the structure. The result is that the bed around the structure is eroded locally. The l…     

Local scour around bridge abutments under ice covered condition- an experimental study

The local scour around bridge abutments has been an active research topic for many decades. But very few studies have been conducted regarding the impacts of ice cover on the local scour phenomenon aro...     

Effects of hooked-collar on the local scour around a lenticular bridge pier

This paper presents the results of comprehensive laboratory experiments to investigate the effects of hooked-collar on the scour development around a vertical pier with a lenticular cross section. The flow around the pier was uniform, steady, and under the clear-water condition. The axial scour profiles for cases without and with a lenticular hooked-collar were measured and the effects of hooked-collar dimensions and elevation from the bed were examined. To compute the efficiency of hooked-colla...     

Characterization of horseshoe vortex in a developing scour hole at a cylindrical bridge pier

Since local scour at bridge piers in rivers and estuaries is a major cause of bridge failure, estimation of the maximum local scour depth is of great importance to hydraulic and coastal engineers. Although numerous studies that focus on scour-depth prediction have been done and published, understanding of the flow and turbulence characteristics of the horseshoe vortex that drives the scour mechanism in a developing scour hole still is immature. This study aims to quantify the detailed turbulent flow field in a developing clear-water scour hole at a circular pier using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The distributions of velocity fields, turbulence intensities, and Reynolds shear stresses of the horseshoe vortex that form in front of the pier at different scour stages (t=0, 0.5, 1, 12, 24, and 48 h) are presented in this paper. During scour development, the horseshoe vortex system was found to evolve from one initially small vortex to three vortices. The strength and size of the main vortex are found to increase with increasing scour depth. The regions of both the maximum turbulence intensity and Reynolds shear stress are found to form at a location upstream of the main vortex, where the large turbulent eddies have the highest possibility of occurrence. Results from this study not only provide new insight into the complex flow-sediment interaction at bridge piers, but also provide valuable experimental databases for advanced numerical simulations.     

Simultaneous use of cable and collar to prevent local scouring around bridge pier

Various methods to control scour around bridge piers have been proposed.In the present study the application of cable or collar and a combination of cable and collar were examined experimentally,as countermeasures against local scouring at a smooth circular bridge pier,close to threshold flow conditions of initiation of uniform sediment motion.The results show that the simultaneous use of cable and collar has high efficiency in reducing the scour depth.The best configuration was found for a cable-pier diameter ratio of 0.15 and thread angle of 15°,in which the scour depth in upstream of the pier reduced to about 53%.In the case of a pier protected with cable and collar the scouring postponed more than pier protected with collar and the rate of scouring is less than in pier protected with collar.These advantages can reduce the risk of pier failure when the duration of flood is short. The results indicate that the scour reduction increases as the cable diameter increased and the thread angle decreased.     

Collar performance in bridge pier scour with debris accumulation

The mechanism of bridge pier scour becomes more complex in the presence of debris accumulation upstream of the pier. While using countermeasures may be effective in reducing scour, their efficacy could be undermined in such a situation. The current study investigates the effectiveness of using a collar in the presence of different types of floating debris accumulation in reducing scour around a cylindrical bridge pier with non-cohesive bed sediment. The experimental results reveal that using a c...     

Numerical model of local scour considering the unsteady sediment inflow and sediment sorting: Application to scour upstream of slit weir

The current study proposes a novel framework for the numerical model for estimating the temporal scour considering unsteady sediment inflow and the sediment sorting process. The framework was applied to local scour upstream of a slit weir. The scour model is based on an ordinary nonlinear differential equation derived from sediment continuity and scour rate equations. A one-dimensional(1-D)Boussinesq-type model coupled with nonequilibrium sediment transport was incorporated in the scour model to...     

SCOUR MITIGATION AT BRIDGE PIERS USING SACRIFICIAL PILES

To mitigate scour around bridge piers, sacrificial piles are economic method where natural processes are involved. The arrangement should be such that scoured materials from the sacrificial piles should have enough volume to fill the scour hole created upstream of the pier in such a way that sediments are trapped inside the scour hole. This concept differs from earlier study made with sacrificial piles that mainly deals to reduce the strength of horseshoe vortex. To determine the effect of sacrificial piles for scour mitigation, alternative arrangements of piles were tested in front of a rectangular pier under clear-water condition and found that when the group of piles is placed at a distance of twice the projected width of the pier, for which percentage of blockage of the pier width is 60%, the scour volume can be reduced upto 61% while the maximum scour depth can be reduced upto 50%.     

Flow fields around tandem and staggered piers on a mobile bed

An experimental investigation on flow fields within the scour holes upstream and downstream of circular piers positioned in tandem and staggered arrangements is reported and compared with isolated piers on mobile beds with uniform sediment. The instantaneous bed elevations and instantaneous three dimensional (3D) velocities were measured using a 5 MHz Ultrasonic Ranging system and 16 MHz micro down looking acoustic Doppler velocimeter, respectively. The velocity and flow depth were measured at different locations under near equilibrium bed scour conditions. The measured 3D velocities were processed for the computation of flow parameters, such as velocity fields, streamline patterns, vorticity fields, and circulation. Furthermore, turbulence intensities, turbulent kinetic energy, Reynolds shear stresses, and bed shear stresses around the piers for all three pier configurations were computed from the detrended velocity signals to identify significant differences in the flow parameters and turbulence in the tandem and staggered pier arrangements as compared to those for an isolated pier. A recirculation zone was found near the bed in front of the rear pier in the tandem case from the streamline patterns. The vortices in the bi-vortex system were observed to be opposite to each other in the gap between the three piers in the staggered case. A strong secondary vortex also was observed apart from the primary vortex at the foot of the pier (θ = 0°) in all the three configurations. The strength of the horseshoe vortex (combination of primary and secondary vortices) was found to be higher at the front piers of the staggered arrangement as compared to those of the tandem piers, followed by the isolated pier. The bed shear stresses were found to be higher for the staggered piers than for the tandem piers in the direction of flow (θ = 0°). However, a 50% reduction in the bed shear stresses was observed behind the tandem piers at θ = 180°. The study reported in this paper provides the foundation for further investigation of countermeasures against local scour around tandem and staggered bridge piers on a mobile bed with non-uniform sediment.     

Numerical investigation of local scour at two adjacent cylinders

Local scour around cylinders in a side-by-side or tandem arrangement under clear-water conditions is investigated numerically. Large eddy simulations with a Smagorinsky subgrid model are combined with a ghost-cell immersed boundary method, and details of the bed scouring are realized with sophisticated sediment and morphodynamic models. The scour patterns and depths in the two-cylinder cases are shown to be significantly influenced by the cylinder spacing. The features of the scour evolution, depth, and flow fields for a range of cylinder spacings are discussed. The maximum scour depth in the side-by-side cylinder cases increases as the distance between the cylinders decreases, whereas in the tandem cases, it tends to initially increase with increasing distance between the cylinders, after which it gradually decreases beyond the peak point. The maximum scour depths and trends computed using the present model show good agreement with the measured data in the literature.     

Reduction of local scour around bridge pier groups using collars

In this paper reduction of scour around group of two and three piers using circular collar has been carried out for the case of clear-water flow over uniform sediment. The efficiency of collars, with different sizes and spaces between piers is studied through experiments in group of two and three piers. The result reveals that collar has more influence in reduction of scour depth in rear piers than the first pier. Also, when the spacing between the piers increases the area without protection between the piers is washed away resulting deeper scour holes at the rear piers.     

Splitter plate as a flow-altering pier scour countermeasure

Results of an experimental study on the countermeasure of scour depth at circular piers are presented. Experiments were conducted for pier scour with and without a splitter plate under a steady, uniform clear-water flow condition. The results of pier scour without splitter plate were used as a reference. Different combinations of lengths and thicknesses of splitter plates were tested attaching each of them to a pier at the upstream vertical plane of symmetry. Two different median sediment sizes (d ₅₀ = 0.96 and 1.8 mm) were considered as bed sediment. The experimental results show that the scour depth consistently decreases with an increase in splitter plate length, while the scour depth remains independent of splitter plate thickness. In addition, temporal evolution of scour depth at piers with and without a splitter plate is observed. The best combination is found to be with a splitter plate thickness of b/5 and a length of 2b. Here, b denotes the pier diameter. An empirical formula for the estimation of equilibrium scour depth at piers with splitter plates is obtained from a multiple linear regression analysis of the experimental data. The flow fields for various combinations of circular piers with and without splitter plate including plain bed and equilibrium scour conditions were measured by using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. The turbulent flow fields for various configurations are investigated by plotting the velocity vectors and the turbulent kinetic energy contours on vertical and horizontal planes. The splitter plate attached to the pier deflects the approach flow and thus weakens the strength of the downflow and the horseshoe vortex, being instrumental in reducing the equilibrium scour depth at piers. The proposed method of pier scour countermeasure is easy to install and cost effective as well.     

Wood retention at inclined racks: Effects on flow and local bedload processes

Large wood (LW) transport can increase greatly during floods, leading to accumulations at river infrastructures. To mitigate the potential flood hazard, racks are a common method to retain LW upstream of endangered settlements or infrastructures. The majority of LW retention racks consist of vertical bars and, therefore, disrupt bedload transport. It can be hypothesized that inclined racks reduce backwater rise and local scour, as wood will block the upper part of the rack, thereby increasing the open flow cross-section below the accumulation. Flume experiments were conducted under clear water conditions to analyse backwater rise and local scour as a function of (1) rack inclination, (2) hydraulic inflow condition, (3) uniform bed material, and (4) LW volume. In addition, the first experiments were performed under live bed scour conditions to study the effect of bedload transport on local scour and backwater rise. Based on the experiments, backwater rise and local scour decrease with decreasing rack angle to the horizontal. LW predominantly accumulated at the upper part of the rack, leading to an open flow cross-section below the accumulation. The effect of rack angle was included in existing design equations for backwater rise and local scour depth. In addition, the first experiments with bedload transport resulted in smaller backwater rise and local scour depth. This study contributes to an enhanced process understanding of wood retention and bedload transport at rack structures and an improved design of LW retention racks. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EFFECTS OF FLOW INTENSITY, OBSTACLE ALIGNMENT AND CROSS-SECTION GEOMETRY ON SCOUR AT BRIDGE ABUTMENTS

1 INTRODUCTION Local scour at bridge piers and abutments has long concerned engineers. Scour depth estimation has attracted considerable research interest and activity, and a number of prediction methods exist at present (see, e.g., comprehensive lists of predictors given by Melville and Colleman, 2000). Several studies have been completed since the 1950s for the particular case of scour at bridge abutments. Since the beginning of the 1980s, the University of Auckland, New Zealand, …