Image-based techniques for the advanced characterization of scour around bridge piers in laboratory

Abstract

The study of local scour in bridge foundations is often restricted to quantifying maximum scour depth on the upstream side. This is limiting to the understanding of the resulting scour by numerical methods, for which the shape of the scour hole is a mandatory input. In this work, two nonintrusive three-dimensional (3D) image-based measuring techniques, consisting of close-range photogrammetry and a Kinect V2 sensor, were employed to characterize the initial and final development of scour holes around piers, under steady flow in a laboratory flume. A novel two-dimensional (2D) methodology was also applied for continuous measurement of the side of the scour hole using submersible cameras. Models of the scour hole geometries in the vicinity of two oblong bridge piers were obtained at high accuracy levels. A database for calibration and validation of numerical models is thus provided.