1

2
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 Definition of Scour
- Scour is the removal of sediment (soil and
rocks) from stream beds and stream banks
caused by moving water.
- Scouring can be defined as a process due to
which the particles of the soil or rock around
the periphery of the abutment or pier of the
highway bridge spanning over a water body,
gets eroded and removed over a certain depth
called scour depth. It usually occurs when the
velocity of the flowing water increases or
crosses the limiting value that the soil particles
can easily handle. 4
-It has been estimated that over 60% of the highway
bridges are being collapsed due to scouring.

5
 Components of Scour

I - Long Term Aggradation or Degradation

+
II - Contraction Scour
+
III - Local Scour (Piers and Abutments)
=

Total Scour 6
Long-Term Aggradation or Degradation

Long-term aggradation or degradation

is due to natural or man-made induced
causes which can affect the reach of
river on which the bridge is located. The
challenge for the engineer is to estimate
long-term bed elevation changes that
will occur during the life of the structure.

7
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 Contraction Scour
-Involves removal of material from bed
and banks across most of the channel
width. May be “Live-bed Contraction
Scour” or “Clear-water Contraction
Scour”.
- Clear-water scour occurs where there is no
transport of bed material upstream of the
crossing or encroachment and live-bed scour
occurs where there is transport of bed
material from the upstream reach into the
crossing or encroachment.
9
 Local Scour
At Piers: Pier scour occurs due to the
acceleration of flow around the pier and the
formation of flow vortices. The “horseshoe
vortices” remove material from the base of the
pier and creates a scour hole.

At Abutments: The obstruction of the flow

forms a horizontal vortex starting at the
upstream end of the abutment and running
along the toe of the abutment and forms a
vertical wake vortex at the downstream end of
the abutment. 10
Scour at a cylindrical pier

11
Abutment scour

12
This bridge (location unknown) failed due to scour at the
base of the piers caused by a turbulent horseshoe vortex
system. 13
14
DEFINING CHANNEL INSTABILITY
Channel instability relates to lateral (horizontal) and
elevational (vertical) changes in the river bed, which
leads to the following problems for the natural and
human-built environment:
1) Threats to roadways, utilities, infrastructure and
development in the geomorphologic floodplain,
2) Loss of property due to channel migration,
3)Loss of trout habitat, due to the change from a
pool-riffle sequence to predominantly fast moving
water in continuous riffle sections,
4) Loss of wetlands and riparian zones due to high
width-to-depth ratios and lateral bank migration
15
Channel instability, as a result of disruption of the
channel equilibrium, is characterized by:
1) Vertical Instability, leading to changes in the channel
bed elevation level by deposition of material
(aggradation) or erosion of the bed material
(degradation). This is a major problem at bridges where
the foundations become exposed; at utility crossings
where pipelines can be washed away; or at critical
floodplain areas where water can overtop the riverbanks.
2) Lateral Instability, where erosion or deposition at the
channel banks causes the channel to migrate horizontally.
This can drastically affect property and infrastructure,
and is the most easily recognizable result of channel
instability.
16
EROSION, ACCRETION AND SEDIMENT
BED MOTION
Erosion= Decrease in channel bed elevation
resulting from removal of sediment material
Accretion= Increase of channel bed elevation
resulting from the accumulation of sediment
deposits. It is also called deposition and
aggradation.
Erosion and accretion must be predicted using
the continuity equation for the bed sediment
material. 17
 Sediment continuity equation

In all sedimentary environments, if there is a

difference between the sediment input and
output through a control volume, then this
should represent either bed deposition or
erosion.
For constant sediment concentration C,
(qs)1 < (qs)2: erosion of channel bed.
(q ) > (q ) : deposition on channel bed.
19
Sediment transport and bed erosion/accretion.

Fig 6.3
20
 Continuity principle for bed material

By continuity the longitudinal change in sediment

transport rate, qs / s, must be equal to the change in
bed elevation, taking into account the porosity of the bed
material. Considering a small control
Fig 6.3

21
 6.3

6.3
22
 APPLICATION

23
24
25
Contraction Scour Types
Live-bed Contraction Scour:
This occurs when bed material is
already being transported into the
contracted bridge section from
upstream of the approach section
(before the Contraction reach).

26
Contraction Scour Types

Clear-water Contraction Scour:

This occurs when the bed material
sediment transport in the
uncontracted approach section is
negligible or less than the carrying
capacity of the flow.

27
Live-bed or Clear-water Determination

Clear-water: Vc > mean velocity

Live-bed: Vc < mean velocity
where Vc = critical velocity for beginning of motion

28
Live-bed or Clear-water Determination
Clear-water: Vc > mean velocity

Live-bed: Vc < mean velocity

V  10.95y 1/6 D 1/3 (Laursen, 1963)

c 1 50
Where:
Y1 =depth of flow in the upstream of bridge
D50 = median diameter of bed material

29
 Live-bed Contraction Scour Determination
6/7 k2
 Q2   W1   n2 
K1
y2
     
y1 Q
 1 W
 2  n1  (Laursen, 1960) And y s  y 2  y0
Where:
Ys = Average depth of scour
Y0 = Average depth of flow in the contracted section before
scour
Y1 = depth of flow in the upstream of bridge
Y2 = depth of flow in the contracted section
W1 = bottom width upstream of bridge
W2 = bottom width in the contracted section
Q1 = flow in the upstream of bridge transporting sediment
Q2 = flow in the contracted section [Often this is equal to the
total discharge unless the total flood flow is reduced by relief bridges
or water overtopping the approach roadway]
n1 = Manning’s “n” for the upstream of bridge
n2 = Manning’s “n” for the contracted section
K1 and K2 = Exponents depending upon the mode of bed 30
material transport
Live-bed Contraction Scour Determination

1
 2 1
V*     gy1S1 2

Where:
V* = Shear Velocity in the upstream section
w = Fall velocity of bed material
T = Shear stress on the bed
p = Density of water
g = Acceleration of gravity 31
32
 Live-bed Contraction Scour Determination
6/7
y2  Q2   W1 
K1

   
y1  Q1  Modified (Laursen, 1960) And y s  y2  y0
W2 
Where:
Ys = Average depth of scour
Y0 = Average depth of flow in the contracted section before scour
Y1 = depth of flow in the upstream of bridge
Y2 = depth of flow in the contracted section
W1 = bottom width upstream of bridge
W2 = bottom width in the contracted section
Q1 = flow in the upstream of bridge transporting sediment
Q2 = flow in the contracted section
K1 = Exponents depending upon the mode of bed material transport

33
 Clear-water Contraction Scour Determination
6

ys  Q
7 (Laursen, 1963)
 0.13 1 7   1
y1  D 3 y 6W 
 m 1 

Where Dm is the effective mean diameter of the

bed material (1.25 D50)
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 Local Scour at Piers

Pier scour occurs due to the acceleration

of flow around the pier and the formation
of flow vortices. The “horseshoe
vortices) remove material from the base
of the pier and creates a scour hole.

40
 Pier Scour Factors
• The greater the velocity upstream of the pier the deeper the scour
• An increase in flow depth can have a significant influence on the
scour depth. It can be as much as twice.
• As the width of the pier increases, so does the scour depth
• If pier is skewed to the flow, the length can have an influence on
the scour depth. When doubling the length, the scour depth
increased by 30-60% depending upon angle of attack.
• Size and gradation of the bed material generally will not have an
effect on the scour depth. What differs is the time it takes to
achieve the maximum scour.
• Shape of the pier plays an important part in the scour depth.
• Formation of debris can increase the width of the pier, change its
shape or change its projected length. 41
Live-bed and Clear-water Scour Determination
by CSU (Richardson 1990 eq.)

42
 Common Pier Shapes

To be used for determining the K1 (Pier Nose Shape correction factor) in equation:
0.65
Ys a
 2.0 K1 K 2 K 3 K 4  
0.43
Fr1
Y1  Y1 

43
 0.65
Ys a
K1 is the Pier Nose Shape correction factor in equation:  2.0 K1 K 2 K 3 K 4   Fr1
0.43

Y1  Y1 

For angle of attack < 5 deg. For greater angles, K 1=1.0

and K2 dominates
44
 K 2  (cos  L / a sin  ) 0.65
0.65
Ys a
K2 is the Angle of Attack correction factor in equation:  2.0 K1 K 2 K 3 K 4   Fr1
0.43

Y1  Y1 

Notes: K2 should only be applied when the entire length is subjected to the attack of flow
K2 max = 5.0 45
K3 is the Bed Condition correction factor in equation:
0.65
Ys a
 2.0 K1 K 2 K 3 K 4  
0.43
Fr1
Y1  Y1 

46
K4 is the Correction Factor for armoring by bed-material size
in equation:
K4 min = 0.4
If D50 < 2mm or D95 < 20mm, then K4 = 1.0
If D50 >= 2mm and D95 >= 20mm then
0.65
Ys a
 2.0 K1 K 2 K 3 K 4  
0.43
Fr1
Y1  Y1 

K 4  VR 
0.15

 V1  VicD50 
where VR   0
VcD50  VicD95 
0.053
 Dx 
VicDx  0.645  VcDx
 a 
1 1
6 3
VcDx  K uY1 Dx 47
VicDx = Approach velocity required to initiate scour at the
pier for grain size Dx
VcDx = critical velocity for incipient motion for grain size
Dx
y1 = Depth of flow just upstream of the pier, excluding
local scour, m (ft)
V1 = Velocity of the approach flow just upstream of the
pier, m/s (ft/s)
Dx = Grain size for which x percent of the bed material is
finer, m (ft)
a = Pier width (ft)
Ku = 6.19 SI Units
Ku = 11.17 English Units
48
 Local Scour at Abutments
Local scour occurs at abutments when
the abutment and embankment
obstruct the flow. The obstruction of
the flow forms a horizontal vortex
starting at the upstream end of the
abutment and running along the toe of
the abutment and forms a vertical wake
vortex at the downstream end of the
abutment. 49
 Abutment failure Causes
• Overtopping of abutments or approach
embankments
• Lateral channel migration or stream widening
processes
• Contraction scour
• Local scour at one or both abutments

50
 Abutment Scour Factors
 Velocity of the flow just upstream of the abutment
 Depth of flow
 Length of the abutment if skewed to the flow.

51
Live-bed and Clear-water
Scour Determination

I - Froelich’s Live-bed Abutment Scour Equation

(when the ratio of the length of the abutment (normal to flow) to flow depth <= 25)

II - Hire Live-bed Abutment Scour Equation

(when the ratio of the length of the abutment (normal to flow) to flow depth > 25)

52
I - Froelich’s (1989) Live-bed Abutment Scour Equation
(ratio of the length of the abutment (normal to flow) to flow depth <= 25)

Ys 0.57 0.61
 2.27 K1 K 2 ( L' ) 0.43 y a Fr1 1
Ya

53
 Abutment Coefficients

K1

K2

54
 Abutment Skew

For abutments angles upstream, the depth of scour increases 55

 II - HIRE (Richardson 1990) Live-bed Abutment Scour
Equation
(Recommended when the ratio of the length of the abutment (normal to flow) to flow depth > 25)

Ys  K1 
 4  K 2 Fr 10.33

Y1  0.55 
K1 = Coefficient for abutment shape
K2 = Coefficient for angle of embankment to flow
as calculated for Froelich’s equation
Fr = Froude Number based upon the velocity
and depth adjacent to and upstream of the
abutment
Y1 = Depth of flow at the abutment on the
overbank or in the main channel. 56
 Suggested design approach
 No reliable equations are available to predict all
hydraulic flow conditions that may be reasonably
expected to occur. Engineering judgement is required.
 Place piers & abutment on scour resistant foundation
such as rock or deep foundation.
 Pilings should be driven below the elevation of long-
term degradation and contraction scour.
 Need to consider the potential for lateral channel
instability.
 Spread footings should be placed below the elevation of
total scour. 57
General Design Procedure

58
Exercise how to run the software for
scours t bridges!
ABSCOUR program (a free software)

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