An Overview: Modern Countermeasures Against Local Scour at Bridge Piers-Applicability in Vietnam

Local scour is a complex phenomenon consisting of three-dimensional flow structures that often develop around piers and abutments founded in movable river beds. Major damage occurs to bridges during flood, mainly because of scour at bridge foundation, particularly the piers and abutments. In Vietnam, every year there are many serious damages to bridges caused involving local scour. In this article some modern countermeasures against local scour at bridge piers from National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project were considered, including riprap, articulating concrete blocks, gabion mattresses, rigid and flexible grout filled mattresses. The applicability of each method to bridge structures in Vietnamese conditions was also presented in detail. The results of analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the four methods of erosion control above show that the riprap method is quite suitable in the conditions of Vietnam.