Effect of local scour on lateral response of single bridge pier in different soil conditions

The phenomenon of scour, which involves the erosion or removal of material from a surface due to the action of water or flowing fluids, can significantly impact the lateral response of structures. Piers that are constructed in river environments are prone to scour, which is influenced by the characteristics of waves and currents, as well as the types of soil present. This study aims to investigate the effect of local scour and global scour on behaviour of laterally loaded piers installed in different soil conditions. Finite element model (FEM) using the software program PI-AXIS were used in the analyses. Three different parameters were investigated such as depth of scour, magnitude of lateral load and soil types. The results showed that scour significantly affects piers installed in medium dense sand, and it has less of an effect on piers installed in stiff clay. The pier lateral displacement and bending moment dramatically increases in medium dense sand. The lateral load rises in tandem with the lateral displacement at various scour depths. Finally, a semi-empirical equation for lateral load capacity was presented and compared with existing equations from the literature. This method can be used quickly and accurately to calculate the effect of scour.