SCOUR AROUND PILE IN COMBINED WAVES AND CURRENT

By B. Mutlu Sumer1 and Jørgen Fredsøe2

ABSTRACT: This paper presents the results of an experimental study on scour around a pile subject to combined
waves and current. Irregular waves were used in the experiments, which were carried out both for codirectional
waves and for waves propagating perpendicular to the current. The measured scour depth is plotted as a function
of Ucw = Uc /(Uc ⫹ Um) for various values of the Keulegan-Carpenter number KC in which Uc is the undisturbed
current velocity and Um is the maximum value of the undisturbed orbital velocity at the sea bottom. In the
experiments, KC ranges from 5 to about 30 and Ucw from 0 to 1. The results show that the scour depth increases
with increasing current component of the flow. The scour depth attains its steady-current value for Ucw > 0.7.
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INTRODUCTION
Scour around a pile is caused mainly by the following three
effects: (1) horseshoe vortex combined with the downflow in
front of the pile; (2) vortex shedding at the back of the pile;
and (3) contraction of streamlines at the side edges.
The horseshoe vortex (combined with the downflow) and
the contraction of streamlines are the key elements for scour
in the case of a steady current. Scour around a pile in steady
currents has been investigated quite extensively (particularly
in the context of scour at bridge piers) [e.g., Hjorth (1975),
Melville (1975), Breusers et al. (1977), Ettema (1976, 1980),
Melville and Raudkivi (1977, 1996), Raudkivi and Ettema
(1977, 1983), Chiew (1984), Raudkivi (1986), Chiew and
Melville (1987), Melville and Sutherland (1988), Melville and
Dongol (1992), Ettema et al. (1998), and Melville and Chiew
(1999)]. Reviews of the subject can be found in the books by
Breusers and Raudkivi (1991), Hoffmans and Verheij (1997),
Whitehouse (1998), and Raudkivi (1998).
Although the horseshoe vortex and the contraction of
streamlines are the key elements for scour in the case of the
steady current, the vortex shedding is apparently the major
mechanism to cause scour in the case of waves for small val-
ues of the Keulegan-Carpenter number KC [<O(100)] (Sumer
et al. 1992b, 1993; Kobayashi and Oda 1994). Here, KC is
defined by
UmT
KC = (1)
D the current-alone case, the two fundamental cases. It turns out
in which Um = maximum value of the undisturbed orbital ve-
locity at the sea bottom just above the wave boundary layer;
T = wave period; and D = pile diameter.
The key role of the vortex shedding in the wave scour (Su-
mer et al. 1992b) is that each shed vortex sweeps the sediment
grains into its core and carries them away from the pile while
it is convected downstream, thus causing a net scour at the
pile in each half-cycle of the wave. The study of Sumer et al.
(1993) has indicated that the scour practically ceases to exist
when the vortex shedding disappears; it is remarkable that the
KC number at which the scour ceases to exist coincides with
the critical value of KC at which the vortex shedding disap-
pears (this critical value is KC = 3 to 4 for a 45⬚-arrangement
square pile, KC = 6 for a circular pile, and KC = 10 to 11 for
a 90⬚-arrangement square pile).
1
Tech. Univ. of Denmark, Dept. of Hydrodynamics and Water Resour.
(ISVA), Build. 115, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark.
2
Tech. Univ. of Denmark, Dept. of Hydrodynamics and Water Resour.
(ISVA), Build. 115, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark.
Note. Discussion open until October 1, 2001. To extend the closing
date one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Manager
of Journals. The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and
possible publication on September 29, 1999; revised November 21, 2000.
This paper is part of the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 127,
No. 5, May, 2001. 䉷ASCE, ISSN 0733-9429/01/0005-0403–0411/$8.00
⫹ $.50 per page. Paper No. 21967.
When the waves and the current coexist, the presence of the
waves will certainly modify the previously mentioned vortex
structures, presumably resulting in changes in the scour pic-
ture. The case of the combined waves and current has been
studied by Wang and Herbich (1983) and Eadie and Herbich
(1986) [see also Herbich et al. (1984)]. These researchers did
not specifically present their scour data as a function of KC,
which was later recognized to be a key parameter for the wave
scour (Sumer et al. 1992b; Kobayashi and Oda 1994). In their
experiments, KC can be calculated to be in the range 2 ⱗ KC
ⱗ 25. The range of the other important dimensionless pa-
rameter
Uc
Ucw = (2)
Uc⫹ Um
was 0.35 < Ucw < 0.7, in which Uc = undisturbed current ve-
locity at the distance y = D/2 from the bed representing the
near-bed current velocity. The results of the studies by Herbich
and his coworkers have indicated that the scour depth is es-
sentially not radically different from that in the case of the
steady current, apparently because of the mainly current-dom-
inated flow environment in those experiments, as will be dis-
cussed later in this paper.
The purpose of this study is to make a systematic investi-
gation of scour around a circular pile, covering the full range
of 0 ⱕ Ucw ⱕ 1, in which the lower bound of the range rep-
resents the waves alone case and the upper bound represents
that the scour depth changes quite substantially in the case of
the combined waves and current, depending on the governing
parameters KC and Ucw. For a combination of small values of
the KC number and Ucw, the scour depth can be reduced sig-
nificantly with respect to its steady-current value.
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP AND TEST CONDITIONS
Two kinds of experiments were carried out: (1) flume ex-
periments where the waves and current were codirectional and
the waves followed the current; and (2) basin experiments
where the direction of wave propagation was perpendicular to
the current.
Flume Experiments
These experiments were carried out in the same flume as
that described in Sumer and Fredsøe (1996). The flume was 4
m wide, 1 m deep, and 28 m long. Three kinds of tests were
conducted: (1) waves-alone experiments, (2) current-alone ex-
periments, and (3) combined-waves-and-current experiments.
Waves-Alone Experiments
Irregular waves were used throughout the present study. The
reason for this was to avoid large-scale bed undulations, which
may occur in regular waves for test durations >O(1 h).
JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING / MAY 2001 / 403

J. Hydraul. Eng. 2001.127:403-411.

 The waves were produced by a piston-type wave generator.
A measured in situ water elevation spectrum for the North Sea
storm conditions was used as the control spectrum to produce
a wave-generator displacement signal. This spectrum is well
described by the JONSWAP wave spectrum, as was shown in
a study by Kozakiewicz et al. (1994). A wave absorber at the
downstream end of the flume was used to handle the reflection.
The mean water depth was maintained constant at 39 cm.
Velocity measurements were made at different depths by a
DANTEC laser Doppler anemometer (LDA) using a submers-
ible ‘‘pen-size’’ probe. A typical example of time series of the
bottom orbital velocity and the corresponding spectrum can be
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4. Superimpose the current corresponding to the smallest
design velocity V.
5. Run the combined-waves-and-current test until the scour
process has reached a new equilibrium. Identify the equi-
librium scour depth.
6. Increase the current velocity to a new value and repeat
Step 5.
7. Repeat Step 6 until all the design current velocities are
achieved.
Test Conditions
The test conditions and the experimental results are given

seen in Fig. 1 in Sumer and Fredsøe (1996).

Two model piles were used with diameters D = 90 and 30
mm. The depth of the sand layer in the flume was 25 cm. The
grain size of the sand was d50 = 0.16 mm. The development
of the scour hole was monitored by video in the same fashion
as described in Sumer et al. (1992a,b, 1993).
in Table 1. In the table, fp = peak frequency of the wave power
spectrum and Um = orbital velocity calculated from
Um = 兹2␴U (3)
in which ␴U = root-mean-square (RMS) value of the orbital
velocity U at the bottom, defined by

冕
Current-Alone Experiment ⬁

␴ 2U = SU(f ) df (4)
The current was achieved by recirculating water in the 0
flume. The velocity profiles in both vertical and transverse
directions were measured using the previously mentioned LDA in which Su(f ) = power spectrum of U corresponding to the
equipment. The transverse velocity profile measurements in- wave component of the flow; and f = frequency. It may be
dicated that the flow was 2D over the center 3.5 m of the noted that Um becomes identical to the maximum value of the
flume width. bottom orbital velocity in the case of small-amplitude sinu-
soidal waves. Also, in the table, KC = Keulegan-Carpenter
Combined-Waves-and-Current Experiments number based on Um and fp

The velocity corresponding to the current component of the Um 兹2␴u

combined-waves-and-current flow ranged from V = 8.5 cm/s
to about 50 cm/s. Here, V = depth-averaged current velocity.
The measurements showed that the water depth (which was
maintained the same as in the waves-alone experiments,
namely, at 39 cm) increased slightly with larger current veloc-
ities; the increase was about 2% when V = 41 cm/s and 7%
when V = 50 cm/s. No increase was observed below V = 30
cm/s.
The procedure used in the combined-waves-and-current
scour tests was as follows:
1. Level off the bed.
2. Introduce the waves, corresponding to the desired wave
climate.
3. Run the wave test until the scour process has attained its
equilibrium stage. Identify the scour depth corresponding
to this equilibrium stage.
KC = = (5)
Dfp Dfp
The question of how to define the KC number in the case
of the irregular waves in conjunction with the scour process
will be discussed in the ‘‘Results and Discussion’’ section. The
definition adopted in the preceding equation apparently gives
the best representation, as will be seen later in the paper.
The quantity Uc in the table is the undisturbed current ve-
locity measured at the distance D/2 from the bed (D being the
pile diameter), representing the characteristic current velocity
near the bed, as mentioned earlier. (The ‘‘Remarks Regarding
Practical Applications’’ section discusses the implication of the
present choice of the current velocity.)
The Reynolds numbers Rw and Rc, on the other hand, are
based on Um and Uc, respectively
UmD UcD
Rw = ; Rc = (6)
␯ ␯

TABLE 1. Test Conditions for Flume Experiments (Waves and Current Are Codirectional, Waves Following Current)
Peak Undisturbed Undisturbed
Pile frequency depth-averaged current velocity Keulegan- Pile R Pile R Nondimensional
diameter of waves Bed orbital current at distance D/2 Carpenter number number equilibrium
D fp velocity Um velocity V from bed Uc number Uc /(Uc ⫹ Um) = based on based on scour depth
Run (mm) (s⫺1) (cm/s) (cm/s) (cm/s) KC Ucw Um Rw Uc Rc S/D
1 90 0.4 15.7 0.0 0.0 4 0.0 1.4 ⫻ 104 — 0.06
2 90 0.4 15.7 8.5 8.3 4 0.34 1.4 ⫻ 104 7.5 ⫻ 103 0.11
3 90 0.4 15.7 15.7 16.0 4 0.5 1.4 ⫻ 104 1.4 ⫻ 104 0.56
4 90 0.4 15.7 29.2 27.0 4 0.63 1.4 ⫻ 104 2.4 ⫻ 104 0.83
5 90 0.32 23.1 0.0 0.0 8 0.0 2.1 ⫻ 104 — 0.11
6 90 0.32 23.1 13.3 13.0 8 0.36 2.1 ⫻ 104 1.2 ⫻ 104 0.50
7 90 0.32 23.1 23.1 22.3 8 0.49 2.1 ⫻ 104 2 ⫻ 104 0.78
8 90 0.32 23.1 45.9 39.0 8 0.63 2.1 ⫻ 104 3.5 ⫻ 104 1.06
9 30 0.31 24.2 0.0 0.0 26 0.0 7.3 ⫻ 103 — 0.83
10 30 0.31 24.2 13.0 10.0 26 0.29 7.3 ⫻ 103 3 ⫻ 103 1.33
11 30 0.31 24.2 24.2 17.5 26 0.42 7.3 ⫻ 103 5.2 ⫻ 103 1.50
12 30 0.31 24.2 44.9 29.5 26 0.55 7.3 ⫻ 103 8.9 ⫻ 103 1.67
13 90 — — 45.9 39.0 — 1.0 — 3.5 ⫻ 104 1.21
14 30 — — 44.9 29.5 — 1.0 — 9 ⫻ 103 2.00

404 / JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING / MAY 2001

J. Hydraul. Eng. 2001.127:403-411.

 in which ␯ = kinematic viscosity.
Finally, note that the live-bed conditions prevailed in all the
tests. The Shields parameter was ␪ = 0.06 in Test 1 and 0.1
in Tests 5 and 9 (waves alone), whereas it was ␪ = 0.2 and
0.15 in Tests 13 and 14, respectively (current alone). As seen,
the ␪ values are larger than the critical value of the Shields
parameter for the initiation of motion on the bed, revealing
the observed live-bed conditions in the tests. Here
U 2fm
␪=
g(s ⫺ 1)d50
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Codirectional Waves and Current
Waves-Alone Case
The scour process attains its equilibrium stage through a
transition period. The scour depth corresponding to this stage
is termed the equilibrium scour depth S (Fig. 1). The quantity
S in the present experiments was found as the average value
(7) of the scour depths measured at four locations at the pile,
namely, at the offshore and onshore sides and at the two side
edges of the pile (Sumer et al. 1992b, 1993). (This value in

in which Ufm = maximum undisturbed bed-friction velocity in the case of the live-bed scour may slightly oscillate with time
waves, calculated by the method of Fredsøe (1984); g = ac- around its mean value because of the continuous change in
celeration due to gravity; and s = relative density of sand the bed morphology, particularly at small and moderate values
grains. In the case of the steady current, Ufm is replaced by Uf, of the Shields parameter. For large values of the Shields pa-
which was calculated through the Colebrook-White formula rameter, however, the sediment transport in the neighborhood
[see Schlichting (1979) for an example]. of the pile may occur in the sheet-flow regime; therefore, the
previously mentioned oscillations may not be as pronounced.)
Basin Experiments The main parameter that governs the equilibrium scour
depth S for the case of waves alone is the Keulegan-Carpenter
These experiments were carried out in a 12.5 ⫻ 23.5 m number KC [(1) and (5)] (Sumer et al. 1992b; Kobayashi and
basin equipped with facilities for generating waves and cur-
rent. The basin is the same as that described in Arnskov et al.
(1993). Irregular waves were used, similar to the flume ex-
periments. The same in situ water elevation spectrum for the
North Sea storm conditions was used as the control spectrum.
The waves were produced by a piston-type wave generator.
Wave absorbers were placed at the opposite side of the basin
to handle the reflection. A pump was used to recirculate the
water (thereby generating a current) in the direction perpen- FIG. 1. Definition Sketch
dicular to the direction of wave propagation.
Water depth was maintained at 40 cm. Velocity measure-
ments were made by a bidirectional micropropeller. (The LDA
system used in the flume experiments was not available for
these experiments.) A rectangular sand pit, 5.6 m long, 3.6 m
wide, and 0.14 m deep, was established in the basin. (The
grain size of the sand was d50 = 0.2 mm; two model piles were
used with diameters D = 32 and 55 mm.) Similar to the flume
experiments, the development of the scour hole was monitored
by video. The same procedure as in the flume experiments was
used in the scour tests.
The test conditions and the experimental results are sum-
marized in Table 2. The experiments were designed such that
FIG. 2. Dominant Mechanisms for Scour in Case of Waves Alone
the KC numbers, namely, KC = 10.7 and 18, fell into the (Snapshots When Wave-Induced Near-Bed Flow Is from Right to Left:
interval between KC = 8 and 26 (two of the KC numbers tested (a) for KC < O(100), Vortex Shedding Is Dominant Mechanism; (b) for
in the flume experiments), to complement the flume data. KC > O(100), Horseshoe Vortex and Downflow Is Dominant Mechanism

TABLE 2. Test Conditions for Basin Experiments (Waves Are Propagating Perpendicular to Current)
Peak Undisturbed Undisturbed
Pile frequency depth-averaged current velocity Keulegan- Pile R Pile R Nondimensional
diameter of waves Bed orbital current at distance D/2 Carpenter number number equilibrium
D fp velocity Um velocity V from bed Uc number Uc /(Uc ⫹ Um) = based on based on scour depth
Run (mm) (s⫺1) (cm/s) (cm/s) (cm/s) KC Ucw Um Rw Uc Rc S/D
15 55 0.30 17.7 0.0 0.0 10.7 0.0 9.7 ⫻ 103 0 0.10
16 55 0.30 17.7 4.0 3.5 10.7 0.17 9.7 ⫻ 103 1.9 ⫻ 103 0.28
17 55 0.30 17.7 12.0 8.0 10.7 0.31 9.7 ⫻ 103 4.4 ⫻ 103 0.49
18 55 0.30 17.7 23.0 17.0 10.7 0.49 9.7 ⫻ 103 9.4 ⫻ 103 0.65
19 55 0.30 17.7 47.0 36.0 10.7 0.67 9.7 ⫻ 103 2.0 ⫻ 104 1.13
20 55 0.30 17.7 84.0 60.0 10.7 0.77 9.7 ⫻ 103 3.3 ⫻ 104 1.25
21 32 0.30 17.7 0.0 0.0 18 0.0 5.7 ⫻ 103 0 0.36
22 32 0.30 17.7 0.0 0.0 18 0.0 5.7 ⫻ 103 0 0.29
23 32 0.30 17.7 4.0 3.0 18 0.14 5.7 ⫻ 103 1.0 ⫻ 103 0.50
24 32 0.30 17.7 12.0 6.2 18 0.26 5.7 ⫻ 103 2.0 ⫻ 103 0.60
25 32 0.30 17.7 23.0 15.0 18 0.46 5.7 ⫻ 103 4.8 ⫻ 103 1.13
26 32 0.30 17.7 47.0 26.9 18 0.60 5.7 ⫻ 103 8.6 ⫻ 103 1.53
27 32 0.30 17.7 84.0 50.0 18 0.74 5.7 ⫻ 103 1.6 ⫻ 104 1.51

JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING / MAY 2001 / 405

J. Hydraul. Eng. 2001.127:403-411.

 Oda 1994). Note that, in the case of a sinusoidal motion, KC
reduces to KC = 2␲a/D, in which a is the amplitude of the
motion of water particles at the bed. The major element in the
scour process is the vortex shedding for small KC numbers
(Sumer et al. 1992b, 1993). As mentioned previously, the key
role of the vortex shedding is that each shed vortex sweeps
the sediment grains into its core region and carries them away
from the pile while it is convected downstream, thus causing
a net scour around the pile in each half period [Fig. 2(a)].
[Obviously, there will be no vortex shedding when the Strou-
hal period is smaller than the wave period; this critical point
is expressed in terms of the KC number as KC < 6. For KC
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> 6, the shedding will occur (Sumer et al. 1993); Sect. 3.2 of
Sumer and Fredsøe (1997).]
Regarding the role of the horseshoe vortex (the main ele-
ment for the current scour), the study of Sumer et al. (1997)
shows that, for very small values of KC, the horseshoe vortex
does not exist. It begins to emerge when KC is 6 (not to be
confused with the KC number below which the vortex shed-
ding disappears; see the preceding paragraph) for a circular
pile, corresponding to the point where the approaching bed-
boundary layer separates from the bed to form the horseshoe
vortex (under the action of the adverse-pressure gradient gen-
erated by the pile). However, for small values of KC [such as
KC = O(10)], the presence of the horseshoe vortex in both
space and time is very limited (Sumer et al. 1997); therefore,
its influence on the scour will not be too significant. As the
KC number is increased, however, the scour process is influ-
enced more and more by the increased presence of the horse-
shoe vortex [Fig. 2(b)], which eventually dominates the scour
process for KC > O(100) (Sumer et al. 1992b).
Sumer et al. (1992b) gave the following empirical expres-
sion for the scour depth for a circular pile exposed to regular
waves
FIG. 3. Testing of Different Definitions of KC Number [Eq. (10)] against Regular-Wave Scour
406 / JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING / MAY 2001
J. Hydraul. Eng. 2001.127:403-411.
S
= 1.3 [1 ⫺ exp(⫺0.03(KC ⫺ 6))], KC ⱖ 6 (8)
D
Kobayashi and Oda’s data (1994) later confirmed this expres-
sion. (This expression is valid for the live-bed conditions.)
In the present experiments, irregular waves were used, as
stated earlier. Fig. 3 shows the results of an analysis carried
out in this study, related to the issue of how to define the KC
number in the case of the irregular waves [the analysis follows
the same method as that used by Zyserman and Fredsøe (1988)
in conjunction with the concentration profiles of suspended
sediment under irregular waves]. The ordinate ␣ in Fig. 3 is
defined by
(S/D)regular
␣= (9)
(S/D)irregular
in which (S/D)irregular = measured normalized equilibrium scour
depth; and (S/D)regular = that predicted from (8), in which KC
is calculated in different ways corresponding to different com-
binations of the orbital bottom velocity and the wave period
UmTz UmTs UmTp UsTs UsTp
KC = , , , , (10)
D D D D D
Here, Um is defined by (3), whereas Us is defined by
Us = 2␴U (11)
{Note that Us may be interpreted as the significant velocity
amplitude, analogous to half the significant wave height [Eq.
7.48 in Sumer and Fredsøe (1997)], whereas Um is analogous
to half the RMS value of the wave height [Eq. 7.43 in Sumer
and Fredsøe (1997)].} The quantities Tz, Ts, and Tp, on the
other hand, are the mean zero-upcrossing period, significant
wave period, and peak period (=1/ fp), respectively [see, for
 example, Sumer and Fredsøe (1997) for the definitions of the
previous quantities]. Fig. 3 indicates that the combination of
Um and Tp gives the best representation. Hence, the KC number
is defined based on these quantities [(5), in which fp =
1/Tp].
Current-Alone Case
As mentioned earlier, two kinds of pile diameters were cho-
sen in the tests, namely, D = 90 and 30 mm (Table 1). The
reason for this is to achieve a relatively broad KC range. The
steady-current scour tests were also carried out for the same
pile diameters. The results are indicated in Table 1. As seen,
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the 90-mm pile (Test 13) gives a scour depth of S/D = 1.21,
whereas the 30-mm pile (Test 14) gives a somewhat larger
scour depth, S/D = 2.0.
Scour in the case of the steady current has been investigated
quite extensively in the last 3 decades. Important contributions
are Melville and Raudkivi (1977), Raudkivi and Ettema (1977,
1983), Raudkivi (1986), Melville and Sutherland (1988), Mel-
ville and Raudkivi (1996), and Ettema et al. (1998) [see also
Raudkivi (1998)]. This research has shown that the scour
depth is influenced by various factors, the most important of
which are (1) the ratio of boundary-layer depth to pile size,
h/D (the scour depth, S/D, increases with increasing h/D); (2)
Shields parameter ␪ (S/D generally increases with increasing
␪, except that it experiences a slight dip after the scour regime
changes from the clear-water scour to the live-bed scour); (3)
gradation of the sediment (S/D decreases with increasing gra-
dation); (4) ratio of sediment size to pile diameter, D/d (S/D
increases with increasing D/d); (5) Froude number (based on
the pile diameter) (S/D increases with increasing Froude num-
ber); (6) shape factor; and (7) alignment factor. The reported
range of the scour depth S/D is O(1–2.5) for the live-bed
scour, the actual value depending on the previously mentioned
parameters.
Returning to the present steady-current results, the flow con-
ditions for the tests (Tests 13 and 14 in Table 1) are rather
similar, whereas the normalized scour depths are somewhat
different, as indicated above. This can be explained as follows.
Changing the pile diameter from D = 30 to 90 mm while
keeping the flow more or less the same will affect two param-
eters: (1) the Froude number, namely, V 2/(gD); and (2) the
ratio of boundary-layer depth to pile size.
The Froude number basically represents the effect of the
adverse pressure gradient caused by the presence of the pile
and is responsible for the formation of the horseshoe vortex
and the downflow (Ettema et al. 1998). Its influence on the
scour depth has been shown to be very significant by Ettema
et al. (1998). The smaller the Froude number, the smaller the
scour depth. In the present experiments, the Froude number,
V 2/(gD), will change from 0.7 to 0.24 when the pile size is
changed from 30 to 90 mm. The experimental data given in
Fig. 3 in Ettema et al. (1998) indicates that this kind of change
in the Froude number may cause a reduction in the scour depth
by about 20%. This explains part of the reduction in the scour
depth when the pile diameter is changed from 30 to 90 mm.
The second effect concerns the ratio of boundary-layer
depth to pile size. In the present experiments, the depth of the
boundary layer from the measured vertical velocity profiles
was found to be about 20 cm for these tests (Tests 13 and 14).
(Note that the flow depth was maintained at 39 cm, a rather
large value, to get larger waves in the waves-alone and com-
bined-waves-and-current experiments, which enabled a KC
number to be produced as large as 26.) Now, the ratio of
boundary-layer depth to pile size will be about 2 when the pile
size is changed from 30 to 90 mm in the present experiments
(a factor of 3 decrease in the ratio of boundary-layer depth to
pile size). This change in the latter quantity will cause a re-
J. Hydraul. Eng. 2001.127:403-411.
duction in the scour depth by about 10–20% [Fig. 3 in Mel-
ville and Sutherland (1988)].
Putting together these reductions, a scour depth of S/D =
1.25 to 1.4 may be expected when the pile size is changed
from 30 to 90 mm pile; the latter figure is not radically dif-
ferent from the measured value S/D = 1.21. [It may also be
mentioned that, in the case of the larger-size pile, the scouring
power will be smaller because of the much larger ‘‘expansion’’
in the neighborhood of the pile (the expansion due to the scour
hole); hence, the scour depth will be further reduced, which
may explain the difference between the expected scour depth,
namely, S/D = 1.25 to 1.4, and the measured value, S/D =
1.21.]
Combined-Waves-and-Current Case
The equilibrium scour depth obtained from the present ex-
periments is plotted in Fig. 4 as a function of the parameter
Ucw. Note that no tests have been conducted for Ucw = O(0.1)
because of the experimental constraints (these tests require
very small current velocities, which were practically impos-
sible to handle).
The following conclusions can be deduced from Fig. 4:
• The present data in Fig. 4 reveals that S/D goes to the
expression given in (8) (the arrows on the vertical axis),
as the parameter Ucw → 0 (the waves-alone case), whereas
it approaches the steady-current values reported in the lit-
erature, as Ucw → 1 (the current-alone case).
• The data in Fig. 4 implies that, for small KC numbers,
even a slight current superimposed on waves would cause
the scour depth to increase significantly. This is due to
the presence of a strong horseshoe vortex (in both time
and space) in front of the pile, even in the case of a weak
current [Figs. 13 and 16 in Sumer et al. 1997].
• It is seen from Fig. 4 that the scour depth is apparently
dominated by the current component of the combined
flow when Ucw ⲏ 0.7, because the scour depth approaches
the values obtained in the case of the current alone for
Ucw ⲏ 0.7. This result is attributed to the constant pres-
ence of the lee wake at the downstream side of the pile
and its complete disappearance at the upstream side of the
pile for such large values of Ucw. Hence, the flow picture
in this case will look similar to that of the case of the
current alone.
Fig. 5 compares the present results with those of Wang and
Herbich (1983) and Figs. 9–13 in Eadie and Herbich (1986).
The orbital bottom velocities Um for the latter data have been
calculated from the linear wave theory, using the wave data
given in these publications, whereas the current velocities Uc
have been obtained from the depth-averaged current velocities,
using the logarithmic velocity distributions over the depth.
Note that, in Eadie and Herbich’s study (1986), the waves
were irregular.
Fig. 5 show that the results of Eadie and Herbich’s exper-
iments (1986) are consistent with the present results. Fig. 5
also shows that there is a general, qualitative agreement be-
tween the present results and the results of Wang and Herbich
(1983), although the scour depths measured in the latter study
seem to be generally larger. Nevertheless, the Wang and Her-
bich data apparently indicate the same kind of KC variation
as in the case of this study.
Waves Propagating Perpendicular to Current
To illustrate the influence of the direction of wave propa-
gation, the scour data obtained for KC = 10.7 and 18 in this
case (Table 2) are plotted as in Fig. 6, together with those for
JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING / MAY 2001 / 407
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FIG. 4. Equilibrium Scour Depth, Codirectional Waves and Current, Present Data, Arrows on Vertical Axis, Ucw = 0, Indicate Waves-Alone Scour
Depth Given by Eq. (8)

FIG. 5. Equilibrium Scour Depth, Codirectional Waves and Current, Comparison of Present Data with Data of Others

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J. Hydraul. Eng. 2001.127:403-411.

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FIG. 6. Equilibrium Scour Depth; Circles = Codirectional Waves and Current, Triangles = Waves Propagating Perpendicular to Current
the case of the previous codirectional waves and current for
three different classes of the parameter Ucw. Fig. 6 shows that
the scour depth seems to be uninfluenced by the direction of
the wave propagation.
Fig. 7 depicts the entire data obtained in the present exper-
iments (including the data in Fig. 4) plotted in the same format
as in Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 show that the influence of the current
on the results in the case of the waves propagating perpendic-
ular to the current is as important as in the case of the codi-
rectional waves and current.
The behavior of the scour process at the two ends of the
range 0 ⱕ Ucw ⱕ 1 in Fig. 7 is as follows. The near-bed video
recording made in this study showed that the vortex shedding
(the key element in the scour process in the case of small KC
numbers) is not influenced very much by the presence of the
current for the wave-dominated regime (i.e., at the lower end
of the range 0 ⱕ Ucw ⱕ 1). (The near-bed vortex shedding in
the direction of wave propagation was clearly identified from
the present video recordings for KC = 8, even for values of
J. Hydraul. Eng. 2001.127:403-411.
Ucw as large as 0.5.) Therefore, the direction of the current will
not be a significant factor for the scour depth at this end of
the range 0 ⱕ Ucw ⱕ 1. The direction of the current at the
‘‘current’’ end (i.e., Ucw → 1) will also not be a significant
factor, simply because the horseshoe vortex with the down-
flow, the major element for the scour in this current-dominated
regime, will be practically uninfluenced by the presence of the
waves.
Remarks Regarding Practical Applications
Remark 1: It may be mentioned that there may exist various
scale effects. Those in the case of the steady current have
already been mentioned in the ‘‘Current-Alone Case’’ section.
In the case of waves, and waves and current, there are other
parameters such as KC, Ucw, and the corresponding parameters
referred to in the previously mentioned section (where the ve-
locity should be replaced by Um). Incidentally, the scour depth
in the wave-alone experiments of Sumer et al. (1992) was
JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING / MAY 2001 / 409
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FIG. 7. Equilibrium Scour Depth, Overall Data from Present Experiments; Filled Symbols = Codirectional Waves and Current, Open Symbols =
Waves Propagating Perpendicular to Current
uninfluenced by the change in the ratio of ripple length to pile
diameter; the data points collapsed on the same curve, al-
though the ripple length varied from about half a pile diameter
to several pile diameters, indicating that the ripples were not
an essential factor in the scour process. It was pointed out that
one reason for this may be the absence of ripples in the im-
mediate neighborhood of the pile. [Note that, in the latter ex-
periments, the undisturbed Shields parameter was mostly in
the range ␪ = O(=0.1 to 0.2).]
Remark 2: The current velocity Uc should also be discussed
with regard to practical applications. The quantity Uc in the
parameter Ucw is the undisturbed current velocity at the dis-
tance y = D/2 from the bed representing the near-bed current
velocity, as mentioned in conjunction with (2). Although it is
a matter of convention, it was believed that the depth-averaged
current velocity would not be a proper choice to represent the
current component of the flow, considering the very large wa-
ter depths in the case of ocean applications. (In this case, the
depth-averaged current velocity is obviously unable to repre-
sent the near-bed current flow because of the very large water
depths experienced.) Another choice could be the friction ve-
locity. However, the velocity at y = D/2 was adopted in favor
of the friction velocity to keep the nondimensional parameter
Ucw relatively simple. (However, note that, for extremely large
piles, Uc may not be a representative near-bed current velocity.
Therefore caution must be exercised in such situations, al-
though the present formulation in this case may be expected
not to be too seriously violated.)
CONCLUSIONS
• The empirical expression relating the scour depth to the
KC number [(8)] in the case of the regular-waves alone
can also be used for the case of the irregular-waves alone
provided that the KC number is calculated by (5)
• In the case of the combined waves and current, the scour
depth is a function of the KC number and the parameter
Ucw = Uc /(Uc ⫹ Um).
• The scour depth approaches its steady-current value for
values of Ucw larger than about 0.7.
410 / JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING / MAY 2001
J. Hydraul. Eng. 2001.127:403-411.
• The scour depth is practically uninfluenced by the direc-
tion of wave propagation.
• The effect of the current on the scour depth is as important
in the case of waves propagating perpendicular to the cur-
rent as in the case of the codirectional waves and current.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study is partially supported by the Commission of the European
Communities, Directorate-General XII for Science, Research and Devel-
opment Program Marine Science and Technology (MAST III) Contract
No. MAS3-CT97-0097, Scour Around Coastal Structures. The tests re-
ported in the study were conducted by J. G. Hansen, E. Ø. Madsen, S.
L. Hansen, J. Dietz, S. W. Andersen, and J. D. Petersen. Also Dr. N.
Christiansen was involved at some stages of the study.
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