Improved bridge pier collar for reducing scour

This study performed a bridge pier collar comparison for the purpose of reducing scour,while introducing a new collar design.The new collar,referred to as Collar Prototype Number 3,was designed based on an equilibrium scour hole and provides a method of controlling the horseshoe vortex.Numerical modelling was utilized to show the flow field and bed shear stress as a result of using Collar Prototype Number 3.A prototype model of Collar Prototype Number 3 and a flat plate collar were constructed f...     

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...     

Local scour around two side-by-side cylindrical bridge piers under ice-covered conditions

In the current study, 108 flume experiments with non-uniform, cohesionless sediments have been done to investigate the local scour process around four pairs of side-by-side bridge piers under both open channel and ice-covered flow conditions. Similar to local scour around bridge piers under open channel conditions and a single bridge pier, it was observed in the experiments that the maximum scour depth always occurred at the upstream face of the pier under ice-covered conditions. Further, the smaller the pier size and the greater the spacing distance between the bridge piers, the weaker the horseshoe vortices around the bridge piers, and, thus, the shallower the scour holes around them. Finally, empirical equations were developed to estimate the maximum scour depth around two side-by-side bridge piers under both open channel and ice-covered flow conditions.     

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...     

Measuring the geometry of a developing scour hole in clear-water conditions using underwater sonar scanning

A novel scanning technique using a rotating-head sonar profiler attached to a slider mechanism is presented as a means to directly measure the complex erosion and deposition features of local scour holes developing in clear-water conditions around vertical cylinders mimicking bridge piers.Extensive validation shows that the method produces high-density elevation surfaces to within≌1.5±2 mm accuracy in a quasi-non-invasive manner.This equates to 0.5±0.7% relative to the flow depth which sonar resolution is well known to scale with.Experimental data from three trials using different cylinder diameters indicate that monitoring of the entire scour hole over time(instead of only the maximum depth as is commonly done in laboratory experiments) can reveal important information about local scour evolution.In particular,results show that the scour-hole volume scales with the maximum scour depth cubed(V_(OL)-y_S~3) through three linear regimes.The transition to the third linear regime was found to represent a step change in the scour evolution process.Following the recent theoretical framework proposed by Manes and Brocchini(2015),this change,termed the crossover point,was interpreted as the point where the production of turbulent kinetic energy plateaus which corresponds to a stabilization in the erosive power of the horseshoe vortex.Scour development beyond the crossover point is characterised by a significant reduction in the rate of volumetric scour,relative to the steadily-increasing maximum scour depth.This overall reduction in volume-development is attributed to a balance between erosion from in-front of the pier and deposition around the sides using topography analysis.It is speculated that the existence of the crossover point may help to identify the characteristic length and time scales describing the evolution of local scour,which may be used for modeling purposes.     

The role of vortex shedding in the scour of pools

Flume experiments were conducted in a 6-m flume to determine the role of turbulence in the scour of pools. Paired results from constricted-flow experiments with and without a wake zone formed behind obstructions to flow show that pools are deeper and shorter when vertical free-shear layers are present. Although non-streamlined obstructions initially present more resistance to flow, channel-bed scour develops a pool morphology that lowers mechanical energy losses to levels below those in pools with streamlined obstructions. Scour primarily enlarges the cross-sectional area in the constricted section. Feedback between pool geometry and localized turbulence production play a secondary role in total scour but still exert a major influence on final energy slopes. The experiment shows that pools with wake zones evolve to reduce longitudinal energy expenditure with an associated reduction in total turbulence production associated with the obstruction.     

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.     

Characteristics of developing scour-holes at a sand-embedded cylinder

Characteristics of developing scour-holes at a sand-embedded 0.2 m diameter circular cylinder are presented. Non-intrusive, high-resolution topographic measurements of developing scour-holes were made with an experimental installation using a laser distance sensor （LDS） and precision step-motors. A clear-water experiment was conducted with bed shear stress equal to 95% of the critical bed shear stress for the initiation of sediment motion at the undisturbed plane sand bed with a d50 of 0.26 mm. During the running experiment of 21 hours duration, measurements were taken by the LDS in different azimuthal half-planes with θ= 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120, 135, 150, 165 and 180° in order to study the spatio-temporal variation of geometric properties in developing scour-holes. After 21 hours, the equilibrium condition was approached, with a scour rate less than d50 per hour. Measurement of maximum scour depth in different azimuthal half-planes at different points in time during the experiment show that scour started at the cylinder side and surrounded the cylinder after about 20% of experiment time. Slopes of developing scour-holes presented three regions with different inclinations, which were attributed to vortex action. Both maximum scour depth and maximum scour radius at different azimuthal half-planes are well correlated with the maximum scour depth at plane with θ = 0°. When providing maximum scour depth at the cylinder front, the presented correlations are useful for simple calculation of scour-hole topography. This work provides an experimental database for advanced numerical simulation for loose sediment hydraulics.     

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%.     

Temporal evolution of scour at bridge abutments in compound channels

Bridge abutment-induced sediment scour in compound river channels is time-sensitive during floods, and, thus, estimating the scour rate has significance in design. In the current study, large-scale laboratory experiments were done to examine the influence of multiple factors on scour evolution, including channel geometry, bed mobility (clear-water or live-bed), and lateral (embankment intrusion) and vertical (deck submergence) flow contractions. A new method is applied for scour measurement and determination of characteristic scour trends. Results show that the non-dimensional time scale is related to flow intensity and may peak before reaching the clear-water scour threshold; the corresponding equations also are derived. It is found that the use of scour countermeasures has a significant impact on the scour rate, and the existing equations for unprotected abutments have limitations. Under clear-water conditions, the scour rate is closely related to the overall flow contraction, which can be better reflected by the ratio of the approaching unit discharge to that at the bridge section. Specifically, the effect of vertical flow contraction on scour rate is more dominant than other factors. Two scour rate curves are derived to suit different structural and flow contraction types for clear-water scour. In contrast, the live-bed scour rate data are generally consistent and fall in a narrow band, showing less dependence on other factors. Finally, a new design approach is established to estimate the time scale and scour rate using the new equations proposed in this paper.     

A time-splitting pressure-correction projection method for complete two-fluid modeling of a local scour hole

A two-dimensional vertical (2DV), Eulerian two-phase model or complete two-fluid model of the free surface flow was developed to simulate water-sediment flow in a local scour hole. In the model, the complete forms of the vertical, two-dimensional, two-fluid Navier-Stokes equations were discretized using a finite volume scheme. This discretization was done based on a standard staggered grid system using a curvilinear network system in compliance with the bed boundaries and water level. At the beginning of the computational cycle, the equations governing the fluid phase were solved based on the two-step projection method with a pressure-correction technique. In the first step, the intermediate fluid velocities were obtained by solving different phases of the momentum equations of the fluid phase using the time-splitting technique. In the second step, pressure was obtained and fluid velocities were updated. In this step a simple discretization method was applied for decreasing the computational complexity. After obtaining all the fluid phase variables at a new time step, the sediment phase momentum equations were solved using the time-splitting technique and sediment velocities were obtained. Then, at the end of the computational cycle, the sediment phase mass equation was solved and the concentrations of both phases were updated. At last, the capacity of the model for simulating of the longitudinal fluid velocity and sediment concentration in a local scour hole was evaluated. Numerical results were found to be in good agreement with experimental data.     

The influence of asymmetries in overlying stratification on near-bed turbulence and sediment suspension in a partially mixed estuary

Data collected from the York River estuary demonstrate the importance of asymmetries in stratification to the suspension and transport of fine sediment. Observations collected during two 24-h deployments reveal greater concentrations of total suspended solids during the flood phase of the tide despite nearly symmetric near-bed tidal current magnitude. In both cases, tidally averaged net up-estuary sediment transport near the bed was clearly observed despite the fact that tidally averaged residual near-bed currents were near zero. Tidal straining of the along-channel salinity gradient resulted in a stronger pycnocline lower in the water column during the ebb phase of the tide and appeared to limit sediment suspension. Indirect measurements suggest that the lower, more intense, pycnocline on the ebb acted as a barrier, limiting turbulent length scales and reducing eddy diffusivity well below the pycnocline, even though the lower water column was locally well mixed. In order to more conclusively link changes in stratification to properties of near-bed eddy viscosity and diffusivity, longer duration tripod and mooring data from an additional experiment are examined, that included direct measurement of turbulent velocities. These additional data demonstrate how slight increases in stratification can limit vertical mixing near the bed and impact the structure of the eddy viscosity below the pycnocline. We present evidence that the overlying pycnocline can remotely constrain the vertical turbulent length scale of the underlying flow, limiting sediment resuspension. As a result, the relatively small changes in stratification caused by tidal straining of the pycnocline allow sediment to be resuspended higher in the water column during the flood phase of the tide, resulting in preferential up-estuary transport of sediment.Responsible Editor: Iris Grabemann