Minimizing scour around bridge pile using holes

Driven by the importance of bridges, researchers are currently undergoing profound paradigm to implement piles to reduce the scour due to the erosive action of flowing water. This research aimed to investigate the minimization of the scour hole around a bridge pile, experimentally. Perforated piles with holes with different orientations were tested, a sacrificial pile and perforated sacrificial pile were placed at the upstream. Measurements were performed, analyzed and presented. Empirical equations were formulated to evaluate the scour parameters. The results indicated that about 89% reduction in scour depth was obtained due to using the combination of pile with hole angle of 45° and a perforated sacrificial pile with hole angle of 45° and hole diameter equals 0.43 of the pile diameter. The results of this study may be used in the field of application for the purpose of bridge pile protection design.