Bridge Scour: Prediction, Modeling, Monitoring, and Countermeasures—Review

TLDR

Scour, responsible for about 60 % of bridge failures in the United States, causes sudden, hard‑to‑monitor failures during floods. This review surveys current research on scour affecting bridge piers and abutments. The review covers scour definitions, predictive methods, numerical and laboratory models, experimental studies, monitoring technologies, and mitigation countermeasures.

Abstract

Scour is one of the main causes of bridge failures. It accounts for about 60% of bridge failures in the United States. Scour failures tend to occur suddenly without prior warning and are very difficult to monitor during flood events. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the up-to-date work on scour at bridge piers and abutments. First, a general introduction of bridge scour including the current situation of bridge scour problems and different types of bridge scour is given. Then, different approaches developed for predicting bridge scour are reviewed. Numerical and laboratory models established for bridge scour studies are also presented. Moreover, laboratory experiments and field tests conducted for bridge scour are reviewed. Different techniques and instruments developed for bridge scour monitoring are also presented with their advantages, disadvantages, and relative cost summarized in a table. Finally, various mitigation countermeasures developed for bridge scour are discussed.