Purpose and Background

A common analysis task when preparing new bridge designs is to estimate the potential for scour at the bridge crossing. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center’s HEC-RAS software program is a widely used tool for various open-channel hydraulics analysis and design tasks. One facet of this program is the integration of some bridge scour calculations from the Federal Highway Administration’s Evaluating Scour at Bridges (HEC-18) document.

Due to the widespread use of HEC-RAS in the engineering community, it is not uncommon for the software to be applied in the analysis of bridge structures. As part of these types of analyses, scour analyses are often performed. Scour computations are easily performed within HEC-RAS. However, the ease of use of the software does not always mean that the engineer has a full understanding of what the program is doing when performing the scour calculations. The various computation methods and variables involved can quickly become confusing for an engineer that is not familiar with the methodologies employed by the software and can produce unrealistic results if not properly chosen.

This webinar will focus on explaining the basic details involved in scour computations within HEC-RAS including input data, types of scour analysis available in the software, and reviewing output. This is a beginner-level webinar designed to familiarize HEC-RAS users with the scour analysis features of the program. The presentation will be based on information presented in the HEC-RAS Hydraulic Reference Manual, the HEC-18 document and will use examples from the HEC-RAS software.