Effect of spacing and skew-angle on clear-water scour at pier alignments

Pier alignments, defined as single-row pier groups, displayed normal to main bridges' axes, are frequently used to support bridge decks. Different alignments configurations, characterized by different combinations of piers' shape and spacing and skew-angle of the alignment to the flow direction, lead to different interactions with the flow field and to different scour depths. Twenty six long lasting -7 to 15 days - laboratory experiments were run under steady clear-water flow conditions, close to the threshold condition of beginning of sediment motion, to address the effect of pier spacing and skew-angle on the equilibrium scour depth. Alignments consisted of four cylindrical piers spaced of 1, 2, 3, 4.5 and 6 pier diameters; tested skew-angles were 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 90 degrees. The main contribution of the paper derives from the long duration of the experiments. The functional relation of issued equilibrium scour depth with pier spacing and skew-angle is established and the dependence of the traditional group correction factor on the same variables is defined.