Analysis of abutment scour

Abstract

Scouring is a major cause of failure of bridge foundations. It is important to determine the maximum depth of scour to estimate depth of burial of bridge footings to ensure structural safety.

Five sets of long duration scouring experiments of up to 170.8 hours long were conducted to verify an equilibrium time prediction equation that was proposed by Nugroho (2006). The clear water scouring experiments were performed in a compound channel 19 m long, 1.6 m wide with a 1 m wide floodplain.

The results were inconclusive. The accuracy of the prediction equation was off by more than 30% for four out of five sets of experiments. More data may be required to produce a more generalized equilibrium time prediction equation