Influence of Cross Section on Wave Scour around Piles

Abstract

The study extends the investigation of scour around circular vertical piles in waves, reported in 1992 in two works by Sumer et al. In the present paper, the influence of cross‐sectional shape of piles on scour is studied. An extensive series of tests was carried out with two kinds of cross sections: a circular cross section, and a square cross section tested at two orientations to the flow (namely, 90° orientation and 45° orientation), therefore giving three different test configurations. The equilibrium scour depth as well as the time scale of the scour process were investigated. Based on the present data, design equations are established relating the equilibrium scour depth,