Experimental study of local scour around a group of two oblong shape bridge

piers at different arrangement

General
Bridges are essential infrastructure for humans that allows safe and efficient passage and
transportation. They are one of the most important aspects of civil and hydraulic engineering. So the
safety and reliability of the bridge are paramount important for the safety of the users, economic impact
and environmental protection. So bridge failure analysis is very important. Preventing bridge failure
needs to understand the causes of failure. Understanding bridge failure can be a great help in the future
construction, design and safety of the bridge. There are many factors that are contributing to bridge
failure. Floods, design flaws and manufacturing errors, infrastructure issues are some of the reasons.

Scour around the piers is one of the major factors that affect bridge stability and a major concern for
bridge failure. Wardhana (2003) determined that 53% of bridge failure is due to floods and scouring.
Smith investigated in the year 1847 to 1975 that scour is one of the main causes of bridge failure for
different countries. It is determined by the European Commission that 20% of bridges in Europe are at
risk of scour in the next two decades. This percentage for some of other countries like Austria, Portugal,
Spain and Italy are 60%,50%,42% and 39%.

Scouring occurs due to the removal of sediment around the bridge piers due to the flow of water
(Warren 2011). When flowing water encounters the pier, it obstructs the flow of water and these
obstructions remove the sediment causing acceleration and vortex shedding. It can debilitate the
foundation of the pier resulting the reduction of bearing capacity (Periku, Yardim 2013). Scour induced
damage can be serious threat as it can occurs gradually without showing visible signs of distress. The
rigidity of the bridge foundation is greatly lessened by scouring which can cause bridge failure. So it
needs to check the scour depth. It helps civil and hydraulic engineers in determining probable threat
that a foundation has to undergo due to removal of sediments and helps them designing foundation
that can hold up against the hydrodynamic forces.

Pier scour is the greatest single cause of bridge failure. Increasing traffic is making the previously
constructed bridges incapable of carrying present loads. Therefore, a new parallel bridge is needed to
construct beside the previous one. The previously constructed bridges were designed without
considering disturbance of multiple piers. Whenever a new pier is introduced, due to the new bridge
construction, in different arrangement with these, the scour pattern will be different. The new scour
pattern can affect the safety of the piers already existing.

There have been many researches about local scour around a single pier. But group piers are a
widespread happening occurrence. The scouring behavior becomes more complex in group piers.
Interference effect is one of the most important factors that play a significant role in group piers (Malik,
Setia 2019). Besides pier spacing can be another important parameter (Devi 2023). These factors are not
considered in designing of single pier. So This experimental study is concerned of local scour around a
group of two oblong shape piers at varied spacing and arrangement. This study aims to investigate and
analyze the scour patterns by the influence of nearby piers in varied spacing and arrangement.

Scour:

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States, scour is the removal of
sediments around hydraulic structures due to the erosive action of flowing water. The Breusers et
al. (1977) defined scour as the removal of materials from bed bank abutment and piers. The bridge pier
obstructs the incoming flow and causes three dimensionals flow separation at the upstream of the flow
known as local scour (Dey et al. 1995). This flow separation formulates horsheshoe vortex at the
upstream of the pier (Raudhkivi 1986). Hence sediment removal happens and scour hole is developed.
This horsheshoe vortex is one of most important reason causing scour (Kothyari et al. 1992). A bow
wave is also formed at the upstream of the pier due to the flow obstruction and it rotates in the
opposite direction of the horsheshoe vortex (Khaple et al. 2017). This bow wave isn’t very participating
in creating scour (Khaple et al. 2017). Due to the flow separation wake vortices are also formed near the
pier at the downstream (NANDI 2019)

Figure 1: schematic diagram of definition sketch showing possible flow field(Khaple, Hanmaiahgari and
Dey 2008)
Types of scour

Figure 2: classification of scour (Cheremisinoff and Cheng, 1987)

General scour can be defined as the lowering of the river bed elevation due to the increased discharge.
It occurs in natural state (Dey 2014). General scour can be classified as short- term scour and long term
scour. Short term scour occurs in a short time span. During flood river discharge increase resulting short
term scour (Richadson and Davis 2001). The long -term scour occurs for a long duration of time causing
some alteration of the stream.

Localized scour occurs near the hydraulic structure of a river. Scour around piers, abutment and
embankment are some of the examples.

Contraction scour occurs when the cross section area of the stream gets decreased(Dey,2014).

Different hydraulic structures obstruct the flow of a stream and create vortices at the base of the
structure by causing interference and develop scour holes (Melville and Raudkivi 1997). This scour is
known as local scour. These obstructions cause flow acceleration which in turn creates vortices(NANDI
2019). These vortices contribute to scour(NANDI 2019)

Scour that occurs when the bed material is not in motion is known as clear water scour. In clear water
scour no refilling takes place during the recession of flood due to the lack of sediment supply.

Live bed scour occurs when there is sediment transportation of the approach flow continuously. Scour
holes that form in the rising period of flood is filled in the recession period (Richardson, Davis 2001)
 Figure 3: Pier Scour Depth in a Sand-bed Stream as a Function of Time (Richardson and Davis, 2001)

Study objectives:

It is crucial to investigate the factors affecting the scour depth around multiple piers. In this study,
laboratory experiments were carried out to evaluate the scour depth around multiple oblong shape
piers. The specific objectives of the study are as following:

I. To measure the scour depths around multiple piers for different discharge and investigate the
effect of pier spacing and arrangement in scour development
II. Analyze the variation of scour depth around multiple piers and find out the location of maximum
and minimum scour
III. To Develop an empirical equation to measure the local scour

Study scopes:

Scour around single piers has been intensely studied as it is an important issue for bridge stability.
Many investigators and researchers investigated formulas and theories for single piers. The design
criteria for single piers ignores the interference effect. There is not vast information available for
multiple piers for its complexity. Multiple pier structures are being requisite for Bangladesh and
other riverine countries. The group effect can be influenced by discharge and spacing. This study
aims to investigate the scour depth around multiple piers and the effect of spacing and rate of flow
in the scour depth and to develop an empirical equation to predict scour depth. Engineers need to
design ensuring the safety of bridge where piers are close proximity considering mutual interference
. This study may provide them useful information.

Study outcomes:

 A comprehensive understanding of the interference effect in scour depth

 Insights into the development of new requirement for designing multiple piers
LITERATURE REVIEW

Local scour research is a vital area of study within hydraulic engineering, focusing
on the erosive action of flowing water around structures such as bridge piers and
abutments. Local scour occurs when the flow of water around these structures
causes the erosion of sediment from the bed and banks of a waterway, leading to
the formation of depressions or holes. This phenomenon poses significant
challenges to the safety and stability of infrastructure, particularly bridges, as
excessive scour can undermine the foundations of these structures, potentially
leading to collapse. Researchers in the field of local scour employ a variety of
methods to study and understand this complex process. Experimental approaches
involve conducting physical model tests in laboratory flumes or channels to
observe and measure scour patterns under controlled conditions. Field studies
involve collecting data from natural waterways and bridge sites to assess the
extent of scour and its impact on infrastructure. Local scour research
encompasses various aspects, including the factors influencing scour
development such as flow velocity, sediment characteristics, and geometry of the
structure, the prediction of scour depth and extent, and the development of
effective scour countermeasures. By advancing our understanding of local scour
processes, researchers aim to develop innovative solutions to protect critical
infrastructure and ensure the safety and resilience of hydraulic structures in
waterways.
Numerous studies have been carried out with the purpose of predicting scour and
various equations have been developed by various researchers.Some of the
studies based on two piers in the tandem arrangement has been conducted
experimentally in order to highlight few important factors for the design
consideration of the bridge pier, pier spacing, mutual interference, size of the
bridge pier, bridge pier shape and countermeasures such as (Amini et al., 2014,
2011; Beg and Beg, 2015; Behzad and Abolfazl, 2013; Behzad and Beheshti, 2006;
Elliott and Baker, 1985; Garg et al., 2021; Hosseini and Amini, 2015; Keshavarzi et
al., 2018; Memar et al., 2020). Amini et al. (2012) experimentally studied the
scour depth under clear water conditions and concluded the dependency of scour
on the diameter of piles, spacing between piles, and the ratio of an immersion.
They also developed a technique for predicting scour depth for a wide range of an
immersed and unimmersed group of pies. The influence of the approaching flow
characteristics (depth of flow and velocity of flow) and sediment characteristics
(density of particle, size of sediment particles, and gradation effect) is subjected
to the variation in local scour depth.

Elsebaie (2013) investigates local scour around circular bridge piers in sand,
focusing on the time development of scour and the impact of pier shape and flow
rates. This study was conducted on the wooden circular pier of 5 cm diameter was
fixed on the flume bed at 2.5 m from the upstream and the bed material was a
mixture of sand with grain sizes ranging between 0.075 and 2.00 mm.The study
found that scour depth increases with both time and flow rate. Accurate
estimation of scour depth is difficult due to experimental complexities, but the
results align with previous studies. This research was crucial for the safe design of
bridge piers and hydraulic structures, providing valuable insights into the patterns
and maximum depths of scour.

Dong et al.(2022) conducted local scour experiments that are carried out with
square-arranged pile groups. The mean diameter of the particles size was .567
mm and velocity was maintained in between 7.69 cm/s and 25.71 cm/s. The study
on local scour around bridge pile groups found that scour depth decreases along
the flow direction, with the deepest scour occurring at the upstream surface of
the first row. The first row of piles experiences greater scour depth compared to
single piles under identical conditions. This highlights the need for focused scour
protection for the upstream row in bridge foundations. A new calculation
coefficient for predicting scour depth was introduced.

Bokaian et al. (1984) carried out a series of experiments to show the flow
characteristics around two parallel circular cylinders with a smooth surface. The
cylinders were arranged with either equal or different diameters at right angles to
the approaching flow direction. In the case of two identical cylinders in tandem
arrangement, the vortex shedding from the upstream body became distinct for
spacing greater than two diameters.

Raudkivi and Ettema (1985) calculated equilibrium depth of local scour in a study.
Based on the data of laboratory experiments on the clear-water local scour of
cohesion less bed sediment at cylindrical piers, it was suggested that equilibrium
depth of local scour is related to the particle size distribution of the bed sediment,
mean particle size of the bed sediment, relative to the pier diameter, flow depth
relative to both the pier diameter and the mean particle size of the bed sediment.
A formula for estimating the maximum depth of local scour for non-uniform
alluvial sediments can be estimated in terms of the geometric standard deviation
of the sediment.

Melville and Sutherland (1988) presented a design method for the estimation of
equilibrium depths of local scour at bridge piers. The method was based upon
envelope curves drawn to experimental data derived mostly from laboratory
experiments. The laboratory data included wide variations in flow velocity and
depth, sediment size and gradation, and pier size, shape, and alignment. Local
scour depth estimation was based upon the largest possible scour depth that can
occur at a cylindrical pier, which was 2.4b , where b is the pier width. According to
the method, this depth was reduced using multiplying factors where clear-water
scour conditions exist, the flow depth was relatively shallow, and the sediment
size was relatively coarse. In the case of nonrectangular piers, additional
multiplying factors to account for pier shape and alignment were applied. The
method of estimation of local scour depth was summarized in a flow chart.

Haghighat et al. (1994) also conducted an experimental study on a group of piers.

They replaced a cylindrical shaped pier of diameter b by a group of small piers of
diameter 0.302 b each placed at an angular spacing of 120°. Four different sizes
ranging from 0.775 to 1.844 mm median diameter were used. Scour at the pier
group and the pier of diameter of the circumscribing circle was determined under
identical flow conditions. It was found that the relative scour ratio, the scour of
group of piers to the solid single pier, was about 0.61. This could be on account of
lesser width of pier facing the flow in comparison to two or three such piers
placed together. Also, two small piers spaced from each other will lower the
magnitude of adverse pressure gradient in comparison to that developed on the
upstream of a single pier of equivalent size

Khaple et al. (2017) presented three kinds of pier arrangement - (i) two piers in
tandem, (ii) two piers in staggered arrangement, and (iii) three piers in
symmetrically staggered arrangements. In the arrangement of two piers in
tandem, the equilibrium scour depth at downstream pier decreased with an
increase in downstream distance up to approximately eight times pier diameter
and then increases with further increase in downstream distance. However, the
scour depth at downstream pier was always smaller than that at upstream pier. In
the arrangement of two staggered piers, the scour depth at the downstream pier
for L/b = 4, where L is the offset distance and b is the pier diameter, was the same
as that of the upstream pier at S = 8b, where S is the stream wise spacing or
distance between piers. Further, for three piers in staggered arrangement, as the
lateral spacing between downstream piers increased, the equilibrium scour depth
at downstream pier decreased.

Das et al. (2014) conducted experimental study of the flow pattern and
characteristics in a local equilibrium scour around a set of two identical shaped
equilateral triangular piers (sides facing the approaching flow) placed in
longitudinal direction to the flow with an eccentricity (transverse distance). Das et
al. (2015) carried out experimental study of the flow pattern and characteristics in
a local equilibrium scour around a set of identical circular piers placed
eccentrically. Here, the eccentricity and longitudinal spacing were equal to three
times of pier width and 0.5 times the scour affected length in the equilibrium
condition of a single pier. The maximum depth of the scour at the eccentric rear
pier was about 44% greater than that in the single pier case. In addition, the
maximum depth of the scour hole at the upstream of inline front pier was about
29% more than that in the single pier case. Das et al. (2016) determined the
equilibrium scour geometry around two circular, square, and equilateral
triangular piers, positioned in in-line front and eccentric rear arrangement, is
determined by carrying out 9 19 clear water scour tests. Here the eccentricity was
kept constant with the varying longitudinal spacing (l) from 0.25, 0.375, 0.5,
0.625, and 0.75 times the maximum equilibrium scour-affected length for a single-
pier test (L). At l = 0.75L, the maximum scour depth at the eccentric rear pier is
found about 45–60% greater than that in the single-pier case. In addition, at l
equal to 0.75L, the maximum depth of the scour hole at the upstream of in-line
front pier is about 35% more than at the single-pier case. The reason may be the
effect of reinforcing scour mechanism. The diversion angle of the scour and also
the deposition is more on the side of the eccentric pier.

Behzad and Abolfazl (2013) experimentally studied flow patterns on a rough

surface for a single pier and two piers and the comparison shows that a rear pier
significantly affects the flow pattern, especially in the vicinity zone.

Wang et al. (2016a) worked on the investigate the characteristics of local scouring
around twin piers, which were simulated using cylindrical

Perspex polymethylmethacrylate tubes. Comparisons were also

made between scouring around a single pier and that around twin

piers. A total of 141 tests were conducted for two different flow

depths, h = 12 cm and 15 cm and the experiment duration was 5hours. The local
scour depth around the downstream pier with the velocity can be segregated into
four regions: a no-scour region, synchronous-scouring region, transition region,
and a radical-deviation region. Finally, a relationship between the deviation in the
radical-deviation region and the spacing of the two piers was obtained.

time development and flow variation of the scouring depth and found Scour Zone
of the rear pier was divided into four new categories.

Keshavarzi et al. (2018) experimentally investigated the significance of pier

spacing over scour depth and the findings indicate maximum scour depth at the
front pier at spacing = 2.5 D..

Cheng et al. (2020b) investigated the assessing the sediment gradation effects
under clear water for bridge pier scour. He found in an increase in the grading of
sediment particles results in reducing the scour depth.

Beg and Beg(2015) investigated the factors affecting the scour depth under clear
water scour conditions. Including mutual interference between two bridge piers
of unequal sizes and pier spacing and the results conclude that, maximum scour
was observed at 66 mm upstream of the front pier and minimum at 33 mm rear
piers.

Habibi(2024) investigated a square-shaped group pier with attack angles of 0°,

10°, 15°, 20°, and 30° and spacing of 2, 3, and 4 times the pier width and a single
pier with the same attack angles in the same experimental conditions. Also, a
semi-empirical equation was presented for predicting the maximum depth of
scour for single pier and group pier, which had good agreement with
experimental results. Results indicated that by considering the angle of the single
square pier, the flow impact area on the pier was altered, and the maximum
depth of scour was reduced due to deformation resulting from the attack angle of
the pier. In the tests related to the group pier, the attack angle of 15° was known
as the critical attack angle in this study.

Tamer et al. (2007) presented in his research that the flow depth

and velocity have an appreciable effect on the local scour and

the data from the physical model showed that doubling the

flow depth will result in more than 200% increase in the scour
depth. It is necessary to involve the hydraulic engineers in the

design stage for bridges to take care of hydraulic effects of the

flow on these bridges. Many methods were proposed for

estimating the local scour around piers at the bridge site, but

these methods were based mainly on the data collected from physical models and
field data need to be collected to verify

these methods.
 Local scour mechanism

In the design of foundations within alluvial riverbeds, engineers must

meticulously consider three fundamental aspects of scour. Firstly, there's the
persistent risk of progressive degradation stemming from alterations in the river's
behavior over time. This erosion, often triggered by human interventions like dam
constructions or channel modifications, demands a thorough understanding of
the river's evolving dynamics to craft foundations resilient to such changes.
Secondly, the occurrence of temporary scour during flood events poses a
significant challenge. Sudden rises in water levels can swiftly erode the riverbed,
necessitating foundations capable of withstanding these sporadic onslaughts
without compromising stability. Lastly, engineers must contend with the menace
of localized scour, particularly around structures such as bridge piers or
abutments. This focused erosion can gradually weaken foundations, underscoring
the importance of preemptive measures to mitigate its effects during the design
phase. By systematically addressing these three aspects, engineers can fortify
foundations against the dynamic forces inherent in alluvial riverbeds, ensuring the
durability and safety of infrastructure projects in these environments. Lowering of
a river bed with respect to a datum due to erosion in the river bed is known as a
local scour [26]. When flow of water passes through the cylindrical pier, a three-
dimensional separation occurs in that zone. Obstruction like pier, bridges etc. in
the flow path distorts the flow pattern. This occurs due to concentration of
stream lines around the obstruction. A separated shear layer rolls up along the
obstruction and create a vortex system in front of the pier. This vortex system is
swept downstream by the river flow. This vortex system has the similar shape to
that of horseshoe. And this horseshoe is known as the horseshoe vortex. That
vortex system figure was shown in figure below. There also exist a downflow.
Horseshoe vortex system with downflow increases the shear stress. Local
sediment transport also increases due to this. And a scour hole will create around
this. This scour hole leads to a change in the flow pattern. Reduction of shear
stress and sediment transport capacity occurs due to this. So, characteristics of
flow, pier and river bed material can lead to a change in maximum scour depth
and temporal variation of scour around a cylindrical pier. Horseshoe vortex along
with downflow will create a scour hole around a cylindrical pier, abutment and
spur dike. The flow structure around a cylindrical pier is shown in figure below.

Fig: Flow pattern at cylindrical pier (a) side view (b) top view

An obstruction like bridge piers in the flow path causes the deflection of the flow.
That deflected flow create scour around the bridge pier. According to Kothyari et
al. (1992) [33] horseshoe vortex is the prime agent that causes the scour. It will
occur at the upstream face of the pier [3]. And it can create undermining which
may cause problem for hydraulic structures. [3]. Also there exist a downflow
which will contribute to scour. Wake vortices will form on the downstream side of
the pier [3]. It results from the flow separation at the sides of the pier [3]. One
vortex develops, sheds away and converted downstream [3]. After that another
one develops and finally sheds away [3] This process is continued to repeat [3]. As
such vortices proceed to downstream it dissipates [3] . Frequency of such vortex
depends on the approach velocity and pier diameter [3]. It is actually proportional
to approach velocity but inversely proportional to the pier diameter [3]. Such kind
of vortices has little or no destructive potential [3]. It will create problem in the
downstream side [3]. Due to obstruction to the flowing stream at the upstream
free surface adjacent to the pier a wave is formed [52]. This wave is known as
bow wave [52]. It rotates in the opposite direction of the horseshoe vortex [52].
This wave is very much innocent [52]. It does not participate to scouring[52].

Khaple et al. (2017) [52] studied about the scour hole when there exist both the
upstream and downstream pier. In that case, upstream pier will influence the
downstream in two ways. (a) the scoured sediment from the upstream side will
get deposited in the downstream portion. And also upstream pier will modify the
downstream profile.

Fig: Schematic of Scour holes at upstream and downstream piers showing the
possible flow field
Classification of Scour Parameters

Flow Intensity

Flow intensity is defined as the ratio of the shear velocity to the critical shear
velocity or the ratio of the approach mean velocity to the critical mean velocity
[Melville and Chiew (1999)]. Under clear-water condition, the local scour depth in
uniformly-graded sediment increases almost linearly with velocity to a maximum
at the threshold velocity [Melville and Coleman (2000)]. The maximum scour
depth is reached when the ratio is 1 and the corresponding maximum scour depth
is called the threshold peak. As the velocity exceeds the threshold velocity, the
local scour depth in uniform sediment first decreases and then increases again to
a second peak, but the threshold peak is not exceeded provided the sediment is
uniform.

Flow Depth

The influence of flow depth on the scour depth has been discussed by many
authors [e.g. Breusers and Raudkivi (1991); Melville and Coleman (2000)]. The
presence of the pier in the channel causes a surface roller around the pier and a
horseshoe vortex at the base of the pier. Flow depth affects local scour depth
when the horseshoe vortex is affected by the formation of the surface roller (or
bow wave) that forms at the leading edge of the pier. The two rollers, (i.e., the
bow wave and the horseshoe vortex) rotate in opposite directions. In principle, as
long as there is no interference between the two rollers, the local scour depth
does not depend on the flow depth but depends only on the pier diameter. In
such an instance, often called deep flow, the local scour is said to occur at narrow
piers. As the flow depth decreases, the surface roller becomes relatively more
dominant and causes the horseshoe vortex to be less capable of entraining
sediment. Therefore, for shallower flows, the local scour depth is reduced.
Subsequently, in a very shallow flow, the local scour is dependent on the flow
depth and the local scour is said to occur at a wide pier.
Pier Width

Experiments have clearly shown that it is possible to relate the scour depth to the
size of the pier [Breusers et al. (1977)]. This observation can be explained
physically by the fact that scouring is due to the horseshoe vortex system whose
dimension is a function of the diameter of the pier. It has also been observed that
the horseshoe vortex, being one of the main scouring agents, is proportional to
the pier Reynolds number, which in turn is a function of the pier diameter. For the
same value of mean approach flow velocity, therefore, the scour depth is
proportional to the pier width. The influence of pier size on the local scour depth
is of interest when data from the laboratory are interpreted for field use
[Breusers and Raudkivi (1991)]. Under clear-water conditions, pier size influences
the time taken to reach the ultimate scour depth but not its relative magnitude s
ys/D, if the influence of relative depth yo/D , and relative grain size D/d50 on the
local scour depth are excluded [Breusers and Raudkivi (1991)]. They also
concluded that the volume of the local scour hole formed around the upstream
half of the perimeter of the pier is proportional to the cube of the pier diameter
(or the projected width of the pier). The larger the pier the larger the scour hole
volume and also the longer is the time taken for the development of the scour
hole for a given shear stress ratio.
Pier Shape

Piers are constructed of various shapes. The most common shapes used are
circular, rectangular, square, rectangular with chamfered end, oblong, Lenticular
and Joukowski. The effect of pier shape has been reported by many researchers
[e.g. Breusers (1977), Breusers and Raudkivi (1991), Melville and Coleman (2000)].

Fig: Schematic illustration of some common pier shapes

The blunter the pier, the deeper the local scour has been the general conclusion.
The shape of the downstream end of the pier is concluded to be of little
significance on the maximum scour depth. The pier shape is often accounted for
by using a shape factor. Melville and Chiew (1999) discussed on shape factors for
uniform piers that is piers having constant section throughout their depth, was
proposed. The local scour depths for variety of different pier shapes all having the
same projected width (140 mm). From his results, a circular pier produced the
least scour while a rectangular pier having blunt ends produced the most scour.
For piers tapered on the upstream and downstream faces, the slope, in elevation,
of the leading edge of the pier affects the local scour depth. Downward-tapered
piers induce deeper scour than does a circular pier of the same width.
Experimental setup and procedure:

This experiment is being done in the Hydraulics and River Engineering laboratory of Water
Resources Engineering department in Bangladesh University Engineering and Technology. The
detail experimental setup is given below .

Flume:

This experiment is carrying out in the Flow visualization tank. The flume has a dimension of
410cmx60cmx20.5cm. It has an inlet section, a working section and an outlet section.

plan sketch of Flow Visualization Tank

The tank is molded by glass fiber and reinforced is provided for rigidity. A perforated baffle pate
had been incorporated into the inlet tank which distributed the flow evenly across the width of
the flow table.
 Fig: Flow visualization tank

Water supply system:

For water supply, a centrifugal pump is installed. Water enters the tank through a delivery pipe
line from the pipe and flows the entire tank supplying continuous flow.

Velocity measuring device:

A velocity meter is being used to measure the velocity. Velocity is being measured at different
sections and average velocity is calculated. The discharge is found by multiplying area.

A rotator is used for controlling discharge.

Flow Entrance:

Incoming water creates wave at the flow entrace and this wave can create thrust resulting the
erosion of the bed materials. According to Kabir(1984) 6 in length of stone pitching with one
layer thickness will be enough for this flume. It helps in slowing down the velocity of the
entrance.

Bed material:

This experiment is carrying out by one type of bed material. For sieve analysis the sediments
were oven dried for 24hours and then sieve analysis has done for grain size distribution .

seieve mass %retained cumulative % % finer

 opening(mm) retained(gm) retained

2.36 11.01 2.204557286 2.204557286 97.79544271

1.18 55.75 11.16294902 13.36750631 86.63249369

0.6 214.629 42.97565176 56.34315806 43.65684194

0.3 187.77 37.59761323 93.94077129 6.059228705

0.15 29.39 5.884826399 99.82559769 0.174402307

0.075 0.33 0.066076649 99.89167434 0.108325658

pan 0.68 0.136157943 100.0278323 -0.027832285

100 % finer
90

80

70

60

50 % finer

40

30

20

10

0
10 1 0.1 0.01

The mean diameter of the bed material is .27mm.

Pier:

Wooden oblong shape piers are being used for this experiment The length, width and height of
this pier was 15 cm, 5 cm and 15 cm respectively. The pier was made of wood. It has enough
weight to stabilize it against the flow. According to Chiew and Melville (1987) the channel width
and pier diameter ratio (B / b) should be greater than or equal to 10 for negligible side wall
effect. The width of the channel was 60 cm. So, the ratio is greater than 10. Scour contraction
for B/b≥10 is equal to zero (Ballio et al. 2009). Melville and Sutherland (1988) defined that
should not be more than .Here B= Width of pier and L=length of pier. The width and length of
oblong shape pier used in this experiment was 5 and 15 cm. So = . According to Tafarojnoruz et
al. (2010, 2012) the pier diameter and mean size of sediment ratio (b /d50 ) should be in the
range of 25 to 130 for almost zero sediment size effect. Here, the ratio was found to be 83.33
(50 mm / 0.60 mm) which exist in the range.

Result and discussion

Phenomena involving scour around bridge piers have been studied in the laboratory and data
collected from experiments have been analyzed. The variations of scour depths with clear
spacing were plotted.
Dimensionless(Scour depth/pier diameter) Maximum scour depth for single
pier:
Maximum sour depth 1.31 Dimensionless Maximum sour depth 0.26
Maximum scour depth at left 0.7 Dimensionless Maximum scour depth at left 0.14
Maximum scour depth at Dimensionless Maximum scour depth at
right 0.95 right 0.19
Minmum scour depth 0.85 Dimensionless Minimum scour depth 0.17
Minimum scour depth at left 0.7 Dimensionless Minimum scour depth at left 0.14
Dimensionless Minimum scour depth at
Minimum scour depth at right 0.48 right 0.096

Non dimensional Maximum scour depth with pier diameter for upstream pier

In this section the overall maximum non- dimensional scour depth with flow
depth for the upstream pier is plotted against the clear spacing. The maximum
scour was observed for the 0D spacing and then it started decreasing with the
clear spacing. The pattern was found 0D>1D>3D>2D.

Clear Spacing Flow Froud Flow Depth of Depth of Scour/ Pier

T/D (cm3/s) No Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 1.93 0.386
1 5540 0.2 6 1.9 0.38
2 5540 0.2 6 1.86 0.372
3 5540 0.2 6 1.87 0.374
 Fig: Non dimensional scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for upstream piers

Piers cause water to become turbulent, which can erode the riverbed around them. When piers
are spaced further apart, the turbulence from each pier doesn't mix, allowing deeper holes to
form around each one. The water flow is less disrupted when there is more space between the
piers, so each pier's turbulence creates a separate, deeper scour hole. On the other hand, when
piers are placed close together, their turbulence zones overlap. This overlap reduces the
intensity of the turbulence around each pier, preventing the holes from becoming as deep. As a
result, closely spaced piers experience less severe scouring. This interaction between piers is
important to consider in construction to ensure stability and minimize erosion.

Non dimensional Maximum scour depth with the depth of flow for upstream
pier

Clear Flow
Spacing Flow Froud Depth(cm Depth of
T/D (cm3/s) No ) Scour(cm) Scour depth non dimensionalised with the flow
0 5540 0.2 6 1.93 0.322
1 5540 0.2 6 1.9 0.317
2 5540 0.2 6 1.86 0.31
3 5540 0.2 6 1.88 0.313
 Non dimensionalised scour depth vs clear spacing
0.324
0.322
0.322
Non-dimensionalised scour depth 0.32 f(x) = − 0.0034 x + 0.3206
R² = 0.713580246913584
0.317
0.318
0.316
0.314 0.313

0.312
0.31
0.31
0.308
0.306
0.304

0D 1D 2D 3D

Fig: Non dimensional scour depth with depth of flow vs clear spacing for upstream piers

Non dimensional Maximum scour depth with pier diameter for downstream
pier
Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 1.93 0.386
1 5540 1.28 1.01 1.12 0.224
2 5540 0.2 6 1.01 0.202
3 5540 0.2 6 1.28 0.256

In this section, the overall maximum non-dimensional scour depth for the
upstream pier is plotted against the clear spacing. The greatest scour depth
occurred at 0D spacing and decreased as the clear spacing increased. The
observed pattern was 0D > 1D > 3D > 2D.
 Fig: Non dimensional scour depth with the pier diameter vs clear spacing for
downstream piers

The graph shows how the non-dimensional pier depth varies with different clear
spacings around an upstream pier. The highest depth is observed at a clear
spacing of 0D, with a value of 0.386. As the clear spacing increases to 1D, the pier
depth drops significantly to 0.224, and further decreases slightly at 2D to 0.202.
However, at 3D, the pier depth increases to 0.256. Overall, the graph shows that
the maximum scour depth occurs at 0D spacing, decreases up to 2D, and then
increases slightly at 3D.

Non dimensional Maximum scour depth with the depth of flow for downstream
pier
Clear Flow Depth of
Spacin Flow Froud Depth(cm Scour(cm Scour depth non dimensionalised with the
g T/D (cm3/s) No ) ) flow
0 5540 0.2 6 1.93 0.322
0.0055
1 4 1.28 1.01 1.12 0.187
2 5540 0.2 6 1.01 0.168
3 5540 0.2 6 1 0.213
 Fig: Non dimensional scour depth with the depth of flow vs clear spacing for

downstream piers

The graph illustrates the relationship between non-dimensional scour depth and clear spacing
around an upstream pier. The highest scour depth occurs at a clear spacing of 0D, reaching
approximately 0.322. As the clear spacing increases to 1D, the scour depth significantly
decreases to about 0.187. This downward trend continues to 2D, where the scour depth
reaches its lowest value of around 0.168. However, at a clear spacing of 3D, the scour depth
increases slightly to approximately 0.213. In summary, the graph shows an initial decrease in
scour depth with increasing clear spacing up to 2D, followed by a slight increase at 3D.

The non-dimensional maximum scour depth left of the upstream pier

Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 1.15 0.23
1 5540 0.2 6 1.09 0.218
2 5540 0.2 6 1.48 0.296
3 5540 0.2 6 1.55 0.31
Fig: Non dimensional scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for Upstream left

The non-dimensional maximum scour depth right of the upstream pier

Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 1.57 0.314
1 5540 0.2 6 1.5 0.3
2 5540 0.2 6 1.58 0.316
3 5540 0.2 6 1.6 0.32
Fig: Non dimensional scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for Upstream right

The non-dimensional maximum scour depth left of the downstream pier

Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 0.6 0.12
1 5540 0.2 6 0.33 0.066
2 5540 0.2 6 1.01 0.202
3 5540 0.2 6 1.2 0.24

Fig: Non dimensional scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for downstream left
The non-dimensional maximum scour depth right of the downstream pier
Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 0.73 0.146
1 5540 0.2 6 0.67 0.134
2 5540 0.2 6 1.01 0.202
3 5540 0.2 6 1.2 0.24

Fig: Non dimensional scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for downstream right

The non-dimensional minimum scour depth of the upstream pier

Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 -1.3 -0.26
1 5540 0.2 6 -1.25 -0.25
2 5540 0.2 6 -1.3 -0.26
3 5540 0.2 6 -1.32 -0.264
Fig: Non dimensional minimun scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for upstream
pier

The non-dimensional minimum scour depth of the downstream pier

Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 -1.3 -0.26
1 5540 0.2 6 -1.25 -0.25
2 5540 0.2 6 -1.3 -0.26
3 5540 0.2 6 -1.32 -0.264
The non-dimensional minimum scour depth of left of the upstream pier
Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 -1.16 -0.232
1 5540 0.2 6 -1.29 -0.258
2 5540 0.2 6 -1.25 -0.25
3 5540 0.2 6 -1.21 -0.242
Fig: Non dimensional minimum scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for left of the
upstream pier

The non-dimensional minimum scour depth of right of the upstream pier

Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 -0.76 -0.152
1 5540 0.2 6 -0.98 -0.196
2 5540 0.2 6 -0.97 -0.194
3 5540 0.2 6 -0.88 -0.176
Fig: Non dimensional minimum scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for right of the
upstream pier

The non-dimensional minimum scour depth of right of the downstream pier

Clear Spacing
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Depth of Scour(cm)
0 5540 0.2 6 -0.25
1 5540 0.2 6 -0.85
2 5540 0.2 6 -0.8
3 5540 0.2 6 -0.74

Fig: Non dimensional minimum scour depth with pier diameter vs clear spacing for right of the
downstream pier
The non-dimensional minimum scour depth of r of the downstream pier
Depth of
Clear Spacing Depth of Scour/ Pier
T/D Flow (cm3/s) Froud No Flow Depth(cm) Scour(cm) Diameter
0 5540 0.2 6 -0.4 -0.08
1 0.00554 0.2 6 -0.75 -0.15
2 5540 0.2 6 -0.68 -0.136
3 5540 0.2 6 -0.6 -0.12

Location of maximum and minimum scour from pier top:

Clear Flow Flow location of min

Spacin (cm3/s Frou Depth(c Depth of Location of max scour from pier
g T/D ) d No m) Scour(cm) scour from top(cm) top(cm)
0 5540 0.2 6 0.73 2 7
1 5540 0.2 6 0.67 2 7
2 5540 0.2 6 1.01 1 7
3 5540 0.2 6 1.2 1 7

Conclusion And Recommendation

1. For different clear spacing different pattern was observed The study observed distinct
patterns in scour behavior with varying spacing distances. when examining various
distances (clear spacings) between objects, the amount of scour (erosion caused by
swiftly moving water) varied depending on the distance. The highest amount of scour
was found when the clear spacing was 0D (no distance between objects), followed by
1D, then 3D, and finally 2D. This pattern indicates that the scour was most severe when
there was no gap between objects, and it decreased as the distance increased, with a
slight anomaly at 2D where the scour was less than at 3D.
2. Maximum non-dimensional scour depth for upstream and downstream pier was equal.
The non dimensional scour depth with pier spacing was 0.386 for both piers.
 3. Maximum non-dimensional scour for the left and right side for both piers was almost
equal.
4. Minimum non-dimensional scour depth was equal for both piers.
5. Minimum non-dimensional scour depth was observed in 1D spacing for both left and
right sides of both piers.

Recommendations

1.In the study, each trial was supposed to run for 5 hours straight, but there were interruptions.
After each trial there was a burst of thrust which might have affected the results. Human
mistakes in measuring how deep the water eroded the ground could also cause errors. The
study kept the slope consistent which could help us understand how slope affects erosion
depth. However, the study only looked at oblong-shaped piers so we don't know how different
pier shapes or angles affect erosion depth yet.

2.The study observed distinct patterns in scour behavior with varying spacing distances. When
examining different clear spacings between objects, the amount of scour (erosion caused by
swiftly moving water) varied depending on the distance. The highest amount of scour was
found when the clear spacing was 0D (no distance between objects), followed by 1D, then 3D,
and finally 2D. This pattern indicates that the scour was most severe when there was no gap
between objects, and it decreased as the distance increased, with a slight anomaly at 2D where
the scour was less than at 3D. To mitigate scour, it is crucial to avoid designing structures with
zero clear spacing, as this leads to the most severe erosion. Implementing a clear spacing of 2D
is advisable where possible, as it showed relatively lower scour. Tailoring clear spacing to fit
specific site conditions, including flow velocity and sediment type, can also optimize scour
prevention. Since the non-dimensional scour depth was equal for both upstream and
downstream piers, applying equal protection measures and conducting regular inspections for
consistent erosion control are essential. Symmetrical designs and balanced protective measures
on both sides of the piers are recommended.

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