Scour around an Erodible Abutment with Riprap Apron over Time
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 145, Issue 6
Abstract
Acknowledged as a significant cause of bridge failure is abutment scour around bridge foundations. Because of the complexity of flow structures and scour mechanisms around an abutment, abutment scour remains the focus of extensive research. In this study, to elucidate the complex flow physics and resulting sediment transport around an abutment, time development of abutment scour in three flow types of free, submerged orifice, and overtopping were examined by conducting laboratory experiments in a compound channel. Different lengths of erodible abutment were used to explore the effect of flow contraction on the abutment scour. Detailed bed contours at selected time intervals, as well as velocities, for the initial conditions were measured with acoustic Doppler velocimeters during each experiment. From observations, the scouring process and the resulting scour hole shape and scour depth around an abutment over time were found to be inconsistent depending on the flow type and degree of flow contraction. Tracking the maximum scour location over time explained the complex scouring process around an abutment, which is a simultaneous effect of local turbulence and flow contraction.
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Acknowledgments
The research reported herein was supported by the Georgia Department of Transportation. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Terry W. Sturm, our mentor in Georgia Institute of Technology, and his wife Candice Sturm.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 145 • Issue 6 • June 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 31, 2018
Accepted: Dec 4, 2018
Published online: Mar 18, 2019
Published in print: Jun 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Aug 18, 2019
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