Temporal development of the scour hole next to the riprap sloping structure
- 1University of Zagreb Faculty of Civil Engineering , Hydroscience and Engineering, Zagreb, Croatia (antonija.harasti@grad.unizg.hr)
- 2University of Zagreb Faculty of Civil Engineering , Hydroscience and Engineering, Zagreb, Croatia
- 3University of Zagreb Faculty of Civil Engineering , Hydroscience and Engineering, Zagreb, Croatia
- 4University of Zagreb Faculty of Civil Engineering , Hydroscience and Engineering, Zagreb, Croatia
- 5Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Civil Engineering, Thessaloniki, Greece
Riprap sloping structure is effective as bridge pier scour protection in the immediate vicinity of piers. In turn, riprap disrupts the flow conditions in a larger area than is the case with piers without scour protection in place. While these structures effectively dissipate the turbulent energy around piers, scouring occurs at the toe of the riprap and threatens the stability of the riprap and adjacent riverbed or hydraulic structures in proximity. This research presents the temporal evolution of the scour hole forming next to the riprap sloping structure. The research combines flume experiments with a physical model and numerical simulations using FLOW-3D software calibrated with experimental data measured with an optical surface scanner. Investigating the change in the scour hole dimensions over time provides valuable insights into the understanding of scour development and the associated undermining of the riprap toe during flood events that can jeopardize the bridge stability. The results show that, while scour generally increases with the duration of the flood, there are also evident backfilling events that need to be recognized and accounted for during the bridge design.
References:
[1] Harasti, A.; Gilja, G.; Potočki, K.; Lacko, M. Scour at Bridge Piers Protected by the Riprap Sloping Structure: A Review. Water 2021, 13, 3606. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13243606
[2] Harasti, A.; Gilja, G.; Adžaga, N.; Žic, M. Analysis of Variables Influencing Scour on Large Sand-Bed Rivers Conducted Using Field Data. Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 5365. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13095365
Acknowledgments
This work has been supported in part by Croatian Science Foundation under the project R3PEAT (UIP-2019-04-4046).
How to cite: Harasti, A., Gilja, G., Vuco, J., Boban, J., and Valyrakis, M.: Temporal development of the scour hole next to the riprap sloping structure, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-10349, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-10349, 2024.
