Reduction of scour around bridge piers using a modified method for vortex reduction

The current study presents a modified method to reduce the scour depth in front of the bridge piers. The idea of this method is based on reducing the stagnation of the flow and vortex formation in front of the pier. Therefore, the pressure difference around the pier is used for driving the flow through an arrangement of openings in front and connected to the openings along the pier’s side. A test program was planned using an experimental flume at the Hydraulics Research Institute (HRI) and three hundred thirty six runs were conducted. Three different pier shapes, circular, square, and rectangular, provided with different openings arrangement and vertical spacing are tested. This method showed that the scour depth is reduced by 45% and also the volume of the scoured material is decreased up to 64%. These results were obtained using opening diameter of 20% of the pier width (w) and vertical spacing equals the pier width (w). Also, a dimensionless regression equation was developed based on the obtained results. These findings when implemented in the field can easily safeguard the bridge piers and dramatically reduce the maintenance efforts and costs as well as improve the hydraulic performance of the water structure.