Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2004OH13B

The Scour and Deposition around River and Estuarine Bridges

Institute: Ohio
Year Established: 2004 Start Date: 2004-03-01 End Date: 2006-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $47,874 Total Non-Federal Funds: $96,500

Principal Investigators: Diane Foster, Thomas Lippmann

Project Summary: The scour around bridge foundations is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States. Field measurements of the scour process generally rely on in-situ sampling of the geomorphology. The objective of this research is to increase our ability to predict how variations in flow conditions will affect the scour and/or deposition of sediment around estuarine and river bridges. Two specific goals for this project are to evaluate an existing three-dimensional flow and sediment transport model with field observations of river morphology and flow velocity and to examine the effect variations in river stage will have on bridge scour. New field sampling techniques will be used for the observation of surface velocities, water column velocities, and bridge scour. The data will be archived in a format suitable for potential subsequent detailed scour analyses. Beyond the scientific merit of better understanding the scour process, we anticipate that these results may be used by both scientists and planners interested in improved parameterization of the sediment transport around structures under river and combined wave-current flow. The results may also be used to identify locations for future sampling sites. Combined these model-data results will highlight potential areas of concern.