Pressure flow and weir scour beneath a bridge deck

Abstract

In this study, a series of experiments in a flume was conducted to investigate the maximum scour hole depth that occurred due to the vertical contraction of the flow underneath a bridge deck model without a pier. The bridge model was tested under pressurized and weir type of flows governed by clear water conditions. Various parameters of flow, sediment, and geometric features of the bridge, such as approach flow depth, discharge, sediment size, girder depth and degree of submergence were varied to investigate their effects on the maximum depth of scour hole. A total of 102 experiments were conducted and two empirical equations were developed separately for pressure and weir flow types with the use of experimental data. Effects of the aforementioned parameters on the scour hole were also analyzed and discussed.