Delineating Flood-Induced Sediment Scour in Bridge-Contracted Channels: Processes, Patterns, and Scour Depth under Various Scour Regimes
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 6
Abstract
Flooding water in extreme hydrometeorological events may be significantly contracted by bridge abutments and superstructures, leading to severe sediment scour and threatening structure stability. A series of large-scale laboratory experiments assessing flood-induced scour processes near bridge abutments are presented, with particular attention paid to the dependence of scour pattern on factors such as deck submergence (vertical contraction), abutment/embankment length (lateral contraction), abutment structure, and general bed mobility, which are analyzed based on post-scour transverse bed profiles and the general bed morphology. It is found that the scour hole’s depth, geometry, location, and corresponding time dependence are intricately affected by the aforementioned factors and demonstrate very complicated behaviors. The current design criterion of HEC-23 is sufficient to prevent disastrous embankment breaching but cannot avoid channel erosion or abutment toe undercutting in severe floods. The location of the greatest scour may migrate with time during floods and is closely related to the abutment structure and length. Furthermore, the existing scour predictors are examined and compared with recent data sets; more improvements are needed to reflect the complex physical mechanism of scour processes. Finally, a new method for estimating sediment loss is proposed.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
A portion of this work was sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, and was conducted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 6 • November 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 20, 2023
Accepted: Jun 4, 2024
Published online: Aug 2, 2024
Published in print: Nov 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jan 2, 2025
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Bodies of water (by type)
- Bridge abutments
- Bridge components
- Bridge decks
- Bridge engineering
- Coasts, oceans, ports, and waterways engineering
- Decks
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Floods
- Hydraulic contraction
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic properties
- Hydraulic structures
- Hydraulics
- Natural disasters
- River and stream beds
- River engineering
- Rivers and streams
- Scour
- Sediment
- Structural engineering
- Structural systems
- Structures (by type)
- Water and water resources
- Water management
- Waterways
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