Effect of Floating Bridges on Open Channels’ Flow and Bed Morphology

Abstract

Floating bridges are permanent or temporary bridges supported by pontoons. This research was initiated to experimentally study the effect of floating bridges on flow characteristics and bed morphology. Two hundred and twenty-nine experiments were carried out and categorized into two main sets; the first was static with a constant submergence ratio, and the second was a dynamic set with varied submergence ratios. The experiments were conducted under different pontoon dimensions, flow depths, submergence ratios, and constant discharge. Empirical equations were developed to predict the scour parameters and the flow characteristics. The results revealed that the Froude number and submergence of the pontoon are the dominant parameters that affect the bed morphology and flow characteristics.