JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

Riprap is used to control scouring around the bridge abutment. In order to study the stability of riprap around two bridge abutments with two different shapes, experiments were conducted in a laboratory flume made of Plexiglass in 180 degree bend.  In this research, several experiments were done by placing the two bridge abutments made of Plexiglas in a series of riprap. Experiments included two different types of riprap with different densities, four different diameters and constant rate of discharge under pure water condition. In each experiment, flow depth was measured in terms of moving threshold, then stability was calculated by using the data obtained. The results showed that in the same conditions chamfered wing-wall is greater than vertical-wall. So, chamfered wing-wall is, on average, 9 percent more stable than the vertical wall. 

Spur dikes are the most common hydraulic structures for river bank protection. Since the construction of this structure causes higher velocities around it, this structure is exposed to erosion. Riprap around the structure nose is one of the most common and economic way to protect spur dike. The main aim of this study is to investigate the riprap stability in a mild 90 degrees bend. Experiments were conducted in a laboratory flume with a 90 degree bend. After specifying the critical spur dike along the bend, this spur and one before and one after it were protected by riprap. The variables were the length of the structure, spur space, riprap size, Froude number, and the amount of submergence, and 205 experiments were carried out in this flume. Finally an experimental equation was developed based on the flow and geometric parameters of submerged spur dike, which can be applied for designing the riprap size.