How to tackle the problem of Bridge Scour

Bridge scour refers to the erosion of soil around bridge foundations (abutments and piers). It occurs when fast-moving water surrounding a bridge removes sediment from around the bridge foundation, creating scour holes that can seriously compromise the bridge’s integrity. Bridge scour is the leading reason for bridge failure worldwide.

The following are the types of scour that can occur around a bridge.?

1. Natural scour: it takes place due to the natural variability of river stream ?ows and sediment regime. Gradation of the riverbed, lateral channel migration, bend, and con?uence scour are part of the natural scour.
2. Contraction scour: it happens when ?ow velocity and shear stress increase, and it usually takes place across the whole river stream width.
3. Local scour: it occurs due to local turbulence caused by structures that split the ?ow (e.g., bridge abutments and piers).?
4. Total scour: it is the sum of all the scour processes mentioned above.

Bridge Scour monitoring techniques

There are different types of monitoring that can be used to identify Bridge Scour. They can be divided into two main groups: direct and indirect monitoring techniques. (Read more)