Scour at complex pier geometries

This paper outlines a methodology for predicting local scour depths near bridge piers with complex geometries. The procedure is based on the hypothesis that local scour depth predictions for the individual components of the complex structure (pier, pile cap, and pile foundations) can be combined to obtain an accurate prediction for the composite structure. Experiments to obtain scour depth information for piers, pile caps (footers) and pile groups (foundations) are currently being conducted by the authors.