Effective Pier Width with Debris
Users of ABSCOUR 10 are encouraged to consider the effect of debris in increasing scour at bridge piers. This utility requires an estimate of the thickness and width of the debris along with its shape (triangular or rectangular). This information, in addition to the actual width of the pier and the flow depth is used by the utility to estimate the effective width of the pier. The user will then input this effective width in the Pier Scour Module instead of the actual width of the pier to compute scour. The User is referred to the FHWA Manual HEC-18 Fifth edition, Section 7.7 for guidance on selecting the characteristics of the debris for use in estimating an effective width. Additional information is available in the H&H Manual, Chapter 10 Bridges, Appendix C regarding the design of bridges to minimize accumulation of debris.