49131: Bridge Design

Assignment 4: Hydrology, Hydraulics and Geotechnology

for Bridge Design

General Information
 This is an individual assignment.

 The aim is to complete a waterway bridge project including one part: detailed design with
required figures and calculations.
 A two-lane bridge is going to be constructed in Gundagai over Murrumbidgee River. The
length of bridge is 145 m and its deepest point is 7.5 m below the ground surface.
Peak flood discharges were recorded from 1990 to 2019 for Murrumbidgee River in Gundagai,
NSW, Australia. The approximate latitude and longitude of the bridge location are as follows:
• Latitude: 35.06° S
• Longitude: 148.10° E
Table 1: Proposed Recorded Peak Flood Discharges for Gundagai Murrumbidgee River (from 1990 to 2019)

No. Year q (m3/s)

1 1990 1458
2 1991 544
3 1992 1086
4 1993 897
5 1994 4980
6 1995 1736
7 1996 543
8 1997 2013
9 1998 412
10 1999 954
11 2000 394
12 2001 379
13 2002 1168
14 2003 1921
15 2004 787
16 2005 514
17 2006 597
18 2007 395
19 2008 1546
20 2009 1642
21 2010 463
22 2011 342
23 2012 869
24 2013 324
25 2014 324
26 2015 631
27 2016 671
28 2017 204
29 2018 692
30 2019 1935
Q1. (30 Marks)

Q 1.1. Based on Flood Frequency Analysis (FFA), find the flood discharge in m 3/s (qmax) for the
Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) of 100 years.

Q 1.2. Based on Rational Method determine the flood discharge in m3/s (Qmax) for the Average
Recurrence Interval (ARI) of 100 years. Assume the area of the catchment is 930 km2, the average
slope 2% and the mainstream length in the catchment is 5.6 km. The impervious fraction of
catchment area is 0.37 (f = 0.37).

Note: For the design purpose, select the flood discharge in the river in the location of the bridge
based on the maximum of these two flood discharges, calculated based on FFA and the rational
method.
Q2. (40 Marks)

The width and height of different points of the river at bridge cross section in its centre-line is
given in Table 2. The equivalent Manning’s coefficient is 0.035 and the slope of the river in this
section is 2%.

Q2.1. Plot the cross section of river without water.

Q2.2. Determine the maximum height of water at this river for the given cross section, based on
the 100 year ARI flood discharge (assume: Qmax = 5300 m3/s).

Table 2: Width and Height of Different Points of the River at Bridge Cross Section in its Centre-line

Point width (m) Elevation (m)

1 0 0
2 5 -0.2
3 10 -0.5
4 15 -1
5 20 -1.4
6 25 -2
7 30 -3.2
8 35 -4.7
9 40 -6.25
10 45 -7.1
11 50 -7.5
12 55 -7.5
13 60 -7.5
14 65 -7.5
15 70 -7.4
16 75 -7.2
17 80 -7
18 85 -6.6
19 90 -6.2
20 95 -5.8
21 100 -5.3
22 105 -5
23 110 -4.5
24 115 -3.8
25 120 -3.2
26 125 -2.2
27 130 -1.2
28 135 -0.6
29 140 -0.2
30 145 0
Q3. (24 Marks)
For this bridge 3 piers with spread footing are considered. Design data are as follows:
• Number of circular piers = 3
• Diameter of each pier = 2 m

Q3.1. To control local scour around pier foundations, gravel riprap is used. Close to the location of
bridge, the river has a straight reach. Based on your previous calculations, check the depth of local
scour for different mean diameter of gravel (2 mm, 5 mm or 10 mm). Which one do you
recommend? Assume: Qmax = 5300 m3/s

Q3.2. Based on the maximum flow rate of Qmax = 5300 m3/s :

(a) Find the Area of the river cross section without piers.

(b) Find the Area of the river cross section without piers.

(c) Find the average velocity of river during the 100-year flood without bridge piers.

(d) Find the average velocity of river during the 100-year flood with bridge piers.

(e) Accordingly, find the afflux height and the length of backwater.

Q3.3. Consider the pier in the middle of the bridge is submerged to a certain depth during the
flood with a return period of 100 years. Calculate the drag force on the middle pier. Assume the
drag coefficient (CD) is 0.36. In drag force equation, use the average velocity of river during the
100-year flood with bridge piers, calculated in Q3.2.
Q4. (6 Marks)
Evaluate the wind load on the bridge deck with the profile shown in the figure. The bottom of the
bridge deck is 7m above the riverbed. Assume design wind speed is 35 m/s.

B = 10.5m

1.0m

dtot
2.5m

dtot = 2.5 + 1 = 3.5m

3.0m 4.5m 3.0m

Href

7.0m

To find the wind average speed:

Href = 7 + 0.5 (2.5+1) = 8.75m

Not to Scale