Pressure and Scouring Around a Spur Dike During the Surge Pass

Abstract

Detailed measurements of pressure and scouring depth were performed to improve understanding of the water flow and its influence on the riverbed around a spur dike. Two sets of hydraulic conditions and 20 measuring points located at the spur dike gave an image of how the pressure changes in time when a wave is passing around. The other factor tested was the delay of pressure change at several points on the spur dike structure. After passing the wave, the scouring depth was measured for each flow setup. Those measurements brought doubts in the assumption of the existence of a direct correlation between excess pore water pressure and the scouring of the area near the spur dike.