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Scour

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Fluvial Hydrodynamics

Part of the book series: GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences ((GEPS))

Abstract

The phenomenon of lowering the riverbed level due to removal of sediment is known as scour. In general, scour is classified as general scour, contraction scour, and local scour. This chapter provides a comprehensive discussion on scour within channel contractions, downstream of structures, below horizontal pipelines, at bridge piers, and abutments. Further, scour countermeasures are of paramount importance to river engineers. This issue is also discussed. Numerical examples on prediction of scour depths are worked out.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Dey and Raikar (2007b) considered section 0 at the upstream of the drop where the critical depth h c occurs and section 0 at the entry of jet into the tailwater (Fig. 10.4b). The continuity equation applied between sections 1 and 0 is

    $$ U_{\text{c}} h_{\text{c}} = U_{0} l_{0} $$

    where U c is the critical velocity of the flow upstream of the drop. According to Bakhmeteff (1932), the jet velocity U 0 is given by

    $$ U_{0} = C_{0} [2g(h_{0} + 1.5h_{\text{c}} )]^{0.5} $$

    where C 0 is the velocity coefficient and h 0 is the height of drop above the tailwater level.

    Using the value of end-depth-ratio (= h e/h c, where h e is the end depth) for rectangular channels equaling 0.715 as given by Rouse (1936), the above equation becomes

    $$ U_{0} = C_{0} [2g(h_{0} + 2.1h_{\text{e}} )]^{0.5} $$

    Inserting into the continuity equation, the expression for jet thickness l 0 can be written as

    $$ l_{0} = \frac{{1.17h_{\text{e}}^{1.5} }}{{C_{0} (h_{0} + 2.1h_{\text{e}} )^{0.5} }} $$

    Using the experimental data, the value of C 0 was estimated as 0.672.

  2. 2.

    Shape factor is the ratio of the equilibrium scour depth for a given non-circular pipe to that for a circular shaped pipe having a same diameter to the vertical cross-sectional length of the non-circular pipe.

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  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India

    Subhasish Dey

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Dey, S. (2014). Scour. In: Fluvial Hydrodynamics. GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19062-9_10

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