PROBABILISTIC APPROACH TO LOCAL BRIDGE PIER SCOUR

A method is presented for evaluating the risk of failure of bridge structures due to pier scour during flood events. The method takes into account the hydrodynamics of the flow field in the vicinity of the pier. A newly developed entropy-based velocity distribution is used to define the effective depth of the scour-producing activity in the vortex near the pier. This velocity distribution is integrated to obtain an upper bound on the energy in the vortex, which is then used to estimate the local pier scour. The scour-estimation procedure is used with a flood probability distribution to assign an exceedance probability to estimated scour values. This scour probability distribution can be used along with information about the pier parameters to assign a risk of failure corresponding to any discharge value. The procedure allows for the development of a system of risk assessment priorities to aid in scheduling bridge monitoring and repair.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1992/1350/1350-005.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=PROBABILISTIC+APPROACH+TO+LOCAL+BRIDGE+PIER+SCOUR&author=D.+Barbe&author=J.+Cruise&author=V.+Singh&publication_year=1992
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1350, Hydrology and Bridge Scour. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Barbe, Donald E
  • Cruise, James F
  • Singh, Vijay P
• Publication Date: 1992

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 28-33
• Monograph Title: Hydrology and bridge scour
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1350
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge piers; Bridges; Distributions (Statistics); Failure; Floods; Hazards; Hydrodynamics; Maintenance; Probability; Ratings; Risk assessment; Scour; Strategic planning; Velocity; Vortices
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bridge maintenance; Probabilistic analysis
• Old TRIS Terms: Velocity distribution; Vortex strength
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Maintenance and Preservation; Safety and Human Factors; I26: Water Run-off - Freeze-thaw;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00625184
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309052149
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 23 1993 12:00AM