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Scour & HydraulicsOnline self-study

Scour Fundamentals and HEC-18

1 PDH · about 60 minutes · Course no. BR-H01 · Instructor: Michael Craig, PE

About the instructor

Michael Craig, PE is Senior Vice President and Southeast Director at Strinteg Corporation, leading bridge inspection and structural engineering across eight states and Puerto Rico. In 27+ years he has inspected over 4,000 structures and completed 3,000+ load ratings and 160+ load tests. He has managed repair and preservation design for complex bridges, including cable-stayed bridges. He holds PE licenses in twelve states, DC and Puerto Rico, SPRAT Level 1, and FAA Part 107 credentials.

Scour is the leading cause of bridge failure over water, and it is invisible during the flood that causes it. This course covers the fundamentals of bridge scour as presented in FHWA Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 18, Evaluating Scour at Bridges, 5th Edition (HEC-18, FHWA-HIF-12-003, 2012), with stream stability context from HEC-20, Stream Stability at Highway Structures, 4th Edition (FHWA-HIF-12-004, 2012). You will learn the components of total scour, the difference between clear-water and live-bed scour, how the HEC-18 contraction, pier and abutment equations are built, and how scour design and check floods are selected. Equations and table values are quoted from HEC-18 with section and equation numbers. Worked numbers not taken from an HEC-18 example are labeled illustrative.

⬇ Download study guide (PDF)

Learning objectives

  • Define the components of total scour
  • Distinguish clear-water and live-bed scour
  • Describe pier and abutment scour
  • Select design and check floods

Outline

  1. Why scour matters
  2. The components of total scour
  3. Clear-water and live-bed scour
  4. Selecting the scour design and check floods
  5. Contraction scour: the four cases
  6. Live-bed and clear-water contraction equations
  7. Local scour mechanics at piers
  8. The HEC-18 pier scour equation
  9. Abutment scour
  10. Special materials: coarse beds, cohesive soils and rock
  11. Stream stability first: HEC-20
  12. Putting it together on a real bridge
  13. Summary
  14. Common errors in scour calculations
  15. Data checklist for a scour evaluation
  16. Open the course (21 screens, 2 knowledge checks)
  17. Final quiz — 10 questions, 70% to pass

References

  1. FHWA, HEC-18 Evaluating Scour at Bridges, 5th Edition, FHWA-HIF-12-003, 2012
  2. FHWA, HEC-20 Stream Stability at Highway Structures, 4th Edition, FHWA-HIF-12-004, 2012
  3. FHWA Technical Advisory T5140.23, Evaluating Scour at Bridges, 1991 (as summarized in HEC-18 Section 1.4.2).