Contribution of complex pier components on local scour depth

Abstract

An experimental campaign of 8 long-duration tests on scouring at complex piers was carried out under steady clear-water flow conditions. The aim was to evaluate the contribution of complex pier components on the total local scour depth. Data was also used to describe the temporal evolution of scour. A new approach to evaluate the maximum scour depth associated with a subtraction concept is suggested which considers the different sets of complex piers components. Two predictors (FDOT and HEC-18), based on a scour depth superposition concept are discussed, concluding that FDOT leads to similar results as the measured values, while HEC-18 leads to underestimation of the total scour depth.