BRIDGE SCOUR: STATUS AND RESEARCH CHALLENGES

Scour around bridge piers, abutments and other bridge foundation elements is a problem of continuing interest. The state of the art of research on this topic is presented herein. The aspects of the bridge scour problem requiring further research investigations have been identified and explained. In India, design scour depth around bridge foundation elements is generally estimated by Lacey-Inglis method. The scour depth estimated by this method is expected to occur after a very long time period of scour activity. Therefore simulation of the flow pattern and scour process around bridge foundation elements is required for realistic estimation of design scour depth. A comparative study is presented to asses the various methods available for the estimation of scour depth by using field data for more than 80 bridges in India and abroad. The processes of scour in cohesive, gravel, boulder as well as rocky bed rivers are also discussed.