Engineering Commons^™

Correlation Of Rock Quality Designation And Rock Scour Around Bridge Piers And Abutments Founded On Rock, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Local scour around the base of a bridge pier or abutment occurs as the result of flow acceleration around the obstruction, formation of a vertical pressure gradient along the upstream end, and generation of vortices at the base of the structure. The flow patterns around piers and abutments are complex in detail, and the complexity increases as a scour hole forms in the bed around the structures. The potential for local scour at a bridge pier or abutment needs to be estimated so that foundations can be designed to resist failure during large floods. While procedures have been suggested for …