Experimental Characterization of the Flow Field around Oblong Bridge Piers

The prediction of scour evolution at bridge foundations is of utmost importance for engineering design and infrastructures’ safety. The complexity of the scouring inherent flow field is the result of separation and generation of multiple vortices and further magnified due to the dynamic interaction between the flow and the movable bed throughout the development of a scour hole. In experimental environments, the current approaches for scour characterization rely mainly on measurements of the evolution of movable beds rather than on flow field characterization. This paper investigates the turbulent flow field around oblong bridge pier models in a well-controlled laboratory environment, for understanding the mechanisms of flow responsible for current-induced scour. This study was based on an experimental campaign planned for velocity measurements of the flow around oblong bridge pier models, of different widths, carried out in a large-scale tilting flume. Measurements of stream-wise, cross-wise and vertical velocity distributions, as well as of the Reynolds shear stresses, were performed at both the flat and eroded bed stages of scouring development with a high-resolution acoustic velocimeter. The time-averaged values of velocity and shear stress are larger in the presence of a developed scour hole than in the corresponding flat bed configuration.