Preliminary experimental tests of local erosion at river piers with a particular shape

摘要

In the present study early experimental tests concerning local erosion phenomena have been carried out on a particular shape of the already effective circular piers in order to determine if any improvement is verified in their shape coefficient (with a corresponding decrease in scour). In particular, the circular pier foundation has been shaped as a truncated cone, partially or totally sunk into the mobile bed. In the experimental tests a preliminary comparison has been effected between scour at uniform circular pier and non-uniform piers with two different values of bevel angle β for the truncated cone foundation. Experimental results have shown that, for both values of β, the scour depth has been lower than that identified in experimental tests conducted on circular piers of the same diameter but without the truncated cone foundation. This interesting results open up an encouraging research field.