Scour due to a horizontal turbulent jet: Numerical and experimental investigation

In this paper both numerical and experimental investigations of local scour downstream of a sill followed by a rigid apron are presented. Nine laboratory experiments were carried out in clear water scour conditions, with different values of discharge. At the end of each run, velocity measurements both on the apron and on the scour hole were performed by ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry. A mathematical-numerical model was developed, simulating local scour downstream of a sill followed by an apron. The model uses information related both to the measured velocity fields and to the physical and mechanical properties of the sand constituting the mobile bed. The mathematical structure of the model consists of a second order partial differential parabolic equation whose unknown is the shape of the mobile bed. The numerical integration of this nonlinear equation, with suitable boundary conditions, is in agreement with the measured scour profiles at the end of the run. Upon comparing experimental and numerical data, a similar temporal evolution of the maximum scour depth is observed.