Evaluation and Prediction of the Scour Depth of Bridge Foundations with HEC-RAS Numerical Model and Empirical Equations (Case Study: Bridge of Simineh Rood Miandoab, Iran)

Abstract

Today, scouring is one of the major issues in the river and coastal engineering. Each year, many bridges around the world are destroyed due to neglecting hydraulic elements. In the present study, scour depth around the piers of the Simineh Rood Bridge in Miandouab, Iran were investigated using empirical relationships and the HEC-RAS numerical model, and the results are compared with each other. Firstly, a hydraulic software model was created from the river where the bridge was located using field data. Then, by entering the scouring data of bridge piers for discharges with a return period of 5 to 1000 years, changes in flow discharge were investigated for scouring around the middle and lateral sides of the bridge. Results of the empirical equations showed that some of the equations are not sensitive to increases in flow discharge, and for each return period, the results are near each other. Also, numerical model results showed that with an increase in discharge, scouring increases in the bridge’s middle and lateral piers. In all discharges, the first and the seventh pier had the lowest and highest scour depth, respectively. Also, the left and right abutments are heavily influenced by increasing discharge. In discharges with a return period of 1000 years, the scour depth was 11.19 and 6.32 m. The Frohlich method is not as sensitive as the CSU method to an increase in discharge when calculating scour depth. Finally, the results of the numerical model were compared with experimental empirical equations