Breaching of Bridge Abutments and Scour at Exposed Abutment Columns
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 10
Abstract
Our note presents laboratory findings on the breaching of the earthfill embankments of bridge abutments at river crossings and the consequent scour at exposed abutment columns, the structural element supporting the end span of a bridge. Current United States design guidelines, based on Load and Resistance Factor Design, expressly recommend that abutment columns withstand scour if exposed during embankment breaching. The findings describe how breaching occurs for two abutment forms (spill-through and wingwall), and how pier-like scour may occur at their exposed columns. The findings include data regarding the time to breach, scour depths at breached abutments, and have significance for designing scour countermeasures.
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Acknowledgments
Our study was conducted under NCHRP Project 24-20 of the U.S. Transportation Research Board’s National Cooperative Highway Research Project.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 10 • October 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 25, 2015
Accepted: Feb 8, 2016
Published online: May 18, 2016
Published in print: Oct 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Oct 18, 2016
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