Experimental investigation of clear-water temporal scour variation around bridge pier in gravel

Abstract

Variation of temporal scour depth around circular piers under clear-water scour condition was studied experimentally for a variability of configuration studies, including different size of circular piers. A total of 96 experiments were carried out with more than 800 data sets of temporal scour depth in non-uniform gravel bed. The experimental data were used to calculate the temporal scour depth at different planes i.e. 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°, 0° plane indicates the maximum and 180° plane indicates minimum scour zones. Some of the previous methods of estimating temporal scour depth at 0° plane are studied in this study. Three temporal scour depths equations for 0°, 90°, 270° and 180° planes have been proposed in this study. The predictions of the temporal scour depth improved after the revised methods of Kothyari et al. (J Hydraul Eng 133(11):1229–1240, 2007). Results of the present proposed equation for 0° plane were compared with latest available relationships in literature and found in good agreements with observed values.