Author(s): C. Grimaldi; A. H. Cardoso
Linked Author(s): António Heleno Cardoso
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: Four methods for the prediction of the local scour depth at complex bridge piers are evaluated by using new experimental data. New tests were carried out in clear-water conditions by systematically varying the pile-cap elevation of a complex pier. Six simple-pier scour formulas were combined with the four methods; the comparison of predictions and measurements allows establishing that the method by Sheppard (2005), combined with its original scour formula, performs the best. The method by Melville and Coleman (2000) seems to be the most conservative and achieves its best prediction in combination with the CSU scour formula. The methods by Richardson and Davis (2001) and Coleman (2005) potentially lead to both overestimations and underestimations, depending on the position of the pile cap and on the adopted scour formula.
Year: 2010