About ABSCOUR

The ABSCOUR abutment and culvert scour equations in this program are based on research studies conducted by Dr. Fred Chang. The Maryland Bridge Scour Program (ABSCOUR 10) represents a cooperative effort by Fred Chang and Stanley Davis, Consultants to the Maryland SHA Office of Structures and Chao Liang Chen of the Consultant firm of The Wilson T. Ballard Company. ABSCOUR 10 incorporates scour equations and concepts set forth in the FHWA Manual HEC-18, Evaluating Scour at Bridges, Fifth Edition dated April 2012.

Users of this program should read and understand Chapter 11 and its Appendices of the Office of Structures "Manual for Hydrologic and Hydraulic Design" and the FHWA Manual HEC-18, Fifth Edition, April 2012 "Evaluating Scour at Bridges."

The example problems presented in HEC-18 have been included in ABSCOUR 10 as an additional source of help and guidance. The user can open a file for an example problem and then run and compare the various methods for computing contraction scour, abutment scour and pier scour. The Office of Structures has reviewed these example problems, and determined that some of the examples described (for example HEC 18 6.6.1) are not consistent with designs that would reflect reasonable bridge design practices for Maryland bridges. Nevertheless, the examples have been retained as confirmation that the ABSCOUR program computes the same scour values as are computed by the HEC-18 methods presented in the example problems.