AFTERNOON SESSIONS

COUNTERMEASURES
Lesson 5: Estimating Scour Depths
Lesson 6: Countermeasures for Bridge/Culvert
Scour
BREAK
Lesson 7: Countermeasures for Stream Instability
Lesson 8: Discuss how to select countermeasures
for prevention or repair of scour
BREAK
Lesson 9: Illustrate countermeasure performance
through case studies

LESSON 5

ESTIMATING SCOUR DEPTHS

LESSON OBJECTIVES
Present overview of methods used to
estimate contraction, pier and abutment
scour
Discuss how to apply (think about) the
concepts for railroad track and bridges
Ilustrate how to evaluate the potential
for channel migration and bed
aggradation or degradation

Estimating Pier Scour Depth, ys

Pier rotates upstream

Diving Flow

Flow
ys

Hole deepest at upstream end

MAXIMUM PIER SCOUR EXPECTED

Rules of Thumb
ys/a < 2.4 for Froude No. <= 0.8
ys/a < 3.0 for Froude No. > 0.8
where a = pier width, as seen by the flow

Froude No.: F = V / ( g y )1/2

V = local flow velocity

g = gravitational acceleration (32.2 ft/s2)
y = local flow depth

Warning: Rules give Maximums

New Tacoma Narrows Bridge
a = caisson width = 40 ft
Fr < 0.8, therefore ys/a < 2.4
ys < 2.4a; thus ys = 96 ft!

New Carquinez Straight Bridge

a = caisson width = 120 ft
Fr > 0.8, therefore ys/a < 3.0
ys < 3.0a; thus ys = ??? ft!

a = pier width, as seen by the flow

Looking upstream at oncoming flow

Looking downstream from channel center

If piers are 18 thick,

what is a for this bridge?

Perpendicular piers on 45 deg skew

How about a for this bridge?

Which bridge would probably fail first?

DEBRIS EFFECTS ON PIER SCOUR

NO PROBLEM

PROBLEM!

PROBLEM!

a = ??
UPRR Br. 898.96 Gila

PIER SCOUR DEPTH

HEC-18 CSU EQUATION
ys
y1
2.0 K1 K 2 K 3 K 4 K w

a
a

0.35
0.43
1

Fr

LATERAL EXTENT OF SCOUR HOLE?

2ys
ys

CONTRACTION SCOUR

y1

y0

y2

Flow and Sediment

Movement

yS

LAURSONS CONTRACTION
SCOUR EQUATION

y 2 Q2

y1 Q1

6/7

W1

W2

k1

y s y 2 y o average scour depth

Inputs, in Order of
Determination
1.

W1 = width upstream over which live bed

transport is occurring, ft

2.

Q1 = portion discharge, cfs, acting on W1

3.

Y1 = average flow depth, ft, over the width W1

4.

W2 = width under the bridge over which live bed

transport is occurring, ft

5.

Q2 = discharge, cfs, acting on W2

W1 = ?
Q1 = ?
Y1 = ?
W2 = ?
Q2 = ?

Flow
Q2/Q1 = ?
W1/W2 = ?

W1 = ?
Q1 = ?
Y1 = ?
W2 = ?
Q2 = ?

W1 = ?
Q1 = ?
Y1 = ?
W2 = ?
Q2 = ?

Clear Water Contraction Scour

Tombigbee River, Miss.

CLEAR-WATER CONTRACTION
SCOUR EQUATION

y2

Ku Q

2/3
Dm

3/7

y s y 2 y o (average scour depth )

ESTIMATING ABUTMENT SCOUR

THE FROEHLICH EQUATION

L'
ys

2.27K1K 2
ya
ya
Fr

0. 43

Ve
gy a

Fr

0.61

Abutment Scour

South Platte River, NE

Close up Horizontal Vortex

Failure probably due to additive effect

of skewed piers and abutment scour

Candidate for Abutment Scour?

ABUTMENT SCOUR?

EVALUATING AGGRADATION AND

DEGRADATION
Periodic cross-sections
Bridge inspection records
Gaging station records
Geology
Project forward the rate of
aggradation/degradation since built
Computer models

PERIODIC CROSS SECTIONS

1881

1925
2004

UPRR Br. 18.1 DeSoto

PRIMARY MECHANISMS
OF BED DEGRADATION
Upstream dam construction
(reduction of sediment supply)
Other reductions in sediment supply
Drop in invert in downstream culvert
or bridge, then headcutting
Drop in trunk steam bed level, then
headcutting

Trunk Stream Drop

UPRR Br. 18.09 Kansas

Trunk Stream
Kansas River

Wolf Creek Flow

22 Degradation

Former Channel
Wolf Creek
22 ft

UPRR Br. 18.09 Kansas

UPRR Br. 18.09 Kansas

22

PREDICTING
CHANNEL MIGRATION

Bridge Inspection Reports

Remember lots of photos

Historic Aerial Photo Comparison

Especially note unvegetated banks

1937

1966

1998