Author(s): Yurdagul Kumcu; Mustafa Gogus
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Scour depth; Bridges; Bridge abutments; Collar; Scour countermeasure
Abstract: Statistical studies have shown that the most common cause of bridge failures have resulted from the removal of bed material around bridge foundations. The researchers usually have tried to investigate the maximum scour depth around the bridge structures. As bridge failures result in costly and potentially fatal, in last decades some investigators have studied on scour countermeasures to reduce the maximum scour depth around the bridge structures. In earlier studies (Kayaturk et al., 2004a, 2004b, 2004c), it has been shown that the local scours around the vertical-wall bridge abutments can be reduced significantly by using collars around them. In order to show the effect of flow depth and collar width on the maximum scour depth around the abutment at threshold condition of sediment motion five different discharges and the corresponding flow depths; Q=0. 055 m3/s, 0. 050 m3/s, 0. 045 m3/s, 0. 040 m3/s, and 0. 035 m3/s, and y=9. 60 cm, 8. 85 cm, 7. 95 cm, 7. 15 cm and 6. 45 cm, respectively, were tested. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that for a given dimensionless collar elevation, Zc/y, and the ratio of the abutment length to the collar width, La/Bc, one can obtain almost the same % reduction in the maximum scour depth regardless of the flow depth.
Year: 2007