United States Department of Transportation
i
Bottomless Culvert Scour Study: Phase I Laboratory Report
-
2003-11-01
[PDF-994.91 KB]
Details:
-
Creators:
-
Corporate Creators:
-
Corporate Contributors:
-
Subject/TRT Terms:
-
Publication/ Report Number:
-
Resource Type:
-
Geographical Coverage:
-
Contracting Officer:
-
Corporate Publisher:
-
Abstract:Bottomless culverts are three-sided structures that have sides and a top and use the natural channel for the bottom. As such, they are an environmentally attractive alternative to box, pipe, and pipe arch culvert designs. Bottomless culverts range in size from a few feet to more than 10 meters (35 feet) in width. The failure of such a structure could have severe consequences similar to the failure of a bridge. On the other hand, since the cost of the foundation and scour countermeasures represent a significant portion of the cost of the structure, overdesign of these elements can add significantly to the cost of the project. The Maryland SHA funded a study of scour at bottomless culverts. Several dozen physical modeling configurations were tested and the resulting scour was measured. The results were evaluated and predictive equations for estimating scour depth were developed. These equations will provide guidance for the design of footing depths for bottomless culverts. Additional tests were conducted to determine the riprap sizes needed to prevent the deep scour that was observed near the upstream corners of the culvert when there was substantial approach flow blocked by the roadway embankments. These tests were preliminary and are not an indication that the Federal Highway Administration endorses the concept of using a countermeasure to reduce foundation depth.
-
Format:
-
Alternate URL:
-
Funding:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
