BRIDGE SCOUR

COURSE OUTCOME (CO3)

- Analyse and evaluate scour at piers & abutment

Components of Scour
1.
2.
3.

4.

General scour
Contraction scour
Abutment scour
Pier scour

1. General scour
Related to aggradation and degradation
Factor that affect long term bed changes
a. Dams & reservoirs upstream & downstream of bridge
b. Changes in watersheds- urbanization & deforestration
c. Channel stabilization & rectification
d. Natural / artificial cutoff of a meander bend
e. Changes in downstream base level of the bridge reach
f. Gravel mining from the streambed
g. Diversion of water in/out of stream
h. Lateral migration of river bend

2. Contraction scour
1 = 2

1 = 1 1
1 = 1 1
1
2 =
1
2
= 2 1
V1 = approach velocity
h1 = approach flow depth
W1 = width of approach
V2 = contracted velocity
h2 = contracted flow depth
W2 = contracted width

2. Contraction scour (cont.)

a. Clear Water Contraction Scour

- Occurs without transport of bed material in the

upstream reach into the bridge cross section

2. Contraction scour (cont.)

b. Live Bed Contraction Scour
- Occurs when there is transport of bed material in the
upstream reach into the bridge cross section
2
1

2 6/7
1

2 k 2 k
1 1 1 2

Where
y1= average depth in the upstream main channel, m
y2= average depth in the contracted section, m
y0=existing depth in the contracted section before scour, m
Q1= flow in the upstream transporting sediment, m3/s
Q2= flow in the contracted channel, m3/s
W1= bottom width of the upstream main channel, m
W2= bottom width of the upstream main channel in the contracted section, m
n1 = Mannings for the upstream main channel
n2 = Mannings for the contracted section
k1 & k2 = exponents depending on the mode of bed material transport

3. Abutment scour
= approach velocity

abutment & embankment length measured at the top of water surface

ave upstream flow depth

equilibrium depth of abutment scour

Abutment scour (after Richardson et al., 1990).

3. Abutment scour (cont.)

Equilibrium scour depth for local live bed scour in sand near a
spill through abutment under subcritical flow

= 1.1
1
1

0.4

1 0.33

If abutment terminates at a vertical wall and the wall on the

upstream side is also vertical, the scour hole nearly double

= 2.15
1
1
When

0.4

1 0.33

> 25

= 41 0.33
1

4. Pier scour

Caused by horseshoe vortex induced by secondary flow at pier base

Square nose
Round nose
Circular cylinder
Sharp nose

Group of cylinders
Pier scour (after Richardson and Davis, 1995).

4. Pier scour (cont)

= 2.0 1 2
1
Pier-type correction factor K1
(after Richardson et al., 1990)

0.65

1 0.43

Flow-angle correction factor K2

(after Richardson et al., 1990)

Pier type

K1

Attack Angle
(degree)

Square nose

1.1

1.0

1.0

1.0

Round nose

1.0

15

1.5

2.0

2.5

Circular cylinder

1.0

30

2.0

2.75

3.5

Sharp nose

0.9

45

2.3

3.3

4.3

Group of cylinders

1.0

90

2.5

3.9

5.0

Correction factor, K2
L/a = 4

L/a = 8

L/a = 12

p = skew angle of flow

Lp = pier length
a = pier width

Design Approach
1.
2.

3.
4.

Determine the fixed-bed channel hydraulics

Determine the long term impact of degradation or
aggradation on the bed profile
If degradation occurs, adjust the fixed bed hydraulics to
reflect the changes
Compute the bridge hydraulics

Evaluating scour at bridge

FHWA Hydraulic Engineering Circular No.18
1. Determine the scour analysis variables
2. Analyze long term bed elevation change
3. Evaluate the scour analysis method
4. Compute the magnitude of contraction scour
5. Compute the magnitude of local scour of pier
6. Compute the magnitude of local scour at abutments
7. Plot and evaluate the total scour depth

Example 1
A 198.12m long bridge is to be constructed over a channel
with a spill-through abutments (slope of 1V:2H). The left
abutment is to set to approximately 60.5m back from the
channel bank, The right abutment is set at the channel
bank. The bridge deck is set at elevation 6.71m and has a
girder depth of 1.22m. Six round nose piers are evenly
spaced in the bridge opening. The piers are 1.52m thick,
12.19 m long and are aligned with the flow. The 100 year
design discharge is 849.51m3/s. The 500 year flow of
1444.16 m3/s was estimated by multiplying the Q100 by 1.7
since no hydrologic records were available to predict the
500 year flow.
1. Determine the type flow condition
2. Compute the flow

Example 2
A 200-m-long bridge is to be constructed over a sand-bed channel
with 300-m-long spillthrough abutments 1V:2H. Six rectangular
bridge piers measuring 1.5 m thick and 12 m long are aligned
with the flow. At a design 100-yr flow discharge of 850 m3/s, the
upstream flow velocity is 3.75 m/s and the flow depth is 2.8 m
upstream of the piers. Estimate
a. the abutment scour depth and
b. the pier scour depth.

Solution to Example 2
Abutment scour
1. Calculate 1 =
2. Check value

3. Find z

1
1

Pier scour
1. Calculate 1 =
2. Check value
3. Find z

1
1

, K1 and K2