Developing a Family of Curves for the HEC-18 Scour Equation

Accurate pier scour predictions are essential to the safe and efficient design of bridge crossings. Current practice uses empirical formulas largely derived from laboratory experiments to predict local scour depth around single-bridge piers. The resulting formulas are hindered by insufficient consideration of scaling effects and hydrodynamic forces. When applied to full-scale designs, these formula deficiencies lead to excessive over prediction of scour depths and increased construction costs. In an effort to improve the predictive capabilities of the HEC-18 scour model, this work uses field-scale data and nonlinear regression to develop a family of equations optimized for various non-cohesive soil conditions. Improving the predictive capabilities of well-accepted equations saves scarce project dollars without sacrificing safety. To help improve acceptance of modified equations, this work strives to maintain the familiar form of the HEC-18 equation. When compared to the HEC-18 local pier scour equation, this process reduced the mean square error of a validation data set while maintaining over prediction.

Decay of Pressure Fluctuation in the Hyporheic Zone around a Cylinder

Erosion around a submerged cylinder is a well-studied problem, and is of particular interest in bridge pier scour applications. Particles erode when lift and drag forces overcome a critical threshold. These forces are typically studied from above the water-riverbed interface and are related to geometry and surficial processes. The present study maps hyporheic pressure fluctuations as they are related to surface water velocity fluctuations. Relatively, high-pressure events in the subsurface promote a destabilizing force from within the riverbed and increase the potential for the mobilization of sediment. Differential pressure transducers were fitted within a vertical cylinder in a movable bed flume. The pressure ports were flush with the cylinder surface and below the water-sand interface. The three-orthogonal components of velocity were recorded synchronously with differential pressure measured over a 15 mm depth. As expected, results show decay in pressure fluctuations as a function of depth.

Anthropogenic impacts to the sediment budget of São Francisco River navigation channel using SWAT

The São Francisco River Basin,located in eastern Brazil,has undergone a significant amount of anthropogenic changes in the last several decades,such as agricultural expansion,irrigation activities,mining,and the construction of large dams.Together,these changes have altered the historic sediment budget and have led to an aggradation of sediments in the navigation channel,impacting the ability to efficiently ship agricultural commodities to regional ports.In an effort to aid decision makers in future waterway navigation planning,an international partnership between the Brazilian government agency CODEVASF and the US Army Corps of Engineers(USACE)was created.Through this partnership a SWAT model of the 630000 km2 São Francisco River basin was developed to better understand both the historic and current sediment budget within the navigation channel.The SWAT model of the São Francisco River Basin was calibrated for hydrology and sediment loads.Monthly discharges were calibrated at 17 Agência Nacional deÁguas(ANA)gages,with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE)values ranging from 0.42 to 0.75 for an eleven year simulation.Sediment loads were calibrated to an ANA sediment gage located in the Middle São Francisco River Navigation Channel,with a PBIAS(Percent Bias)of 11.6.Based on model results,the aggradation rate of sediment in the São Francisco River and major tributaries has increased by approximately 20 Mt since Pre-European settlement of the basin(from approximately 7 Mt/a to 27 Mt/a).This increase has contributed to an impaired navigation channel due to shoaling of sandy sediments in the navigation channel.