Combined solutions to reduce scour around complex foundations: an experimental study

In this study, the simultaneous application of sacrificial piles and cable was experimentally examined as a pier scour countermeasure. The experiments were carried out for a single pier, a group of two and three piers using a clear-water regime. It is believed that applying the sacrificial piles and cable at the same time decreases the scour depth at a single pier and a group of two piers efficiently. In a group of three piers, the sacrificial piles with triangular configuration were able to decrease the scour depth considerably with a value of 69% reduction at the first pier. Nevertheless, the cable affects the scour depth reduction negatively at the group of three piers. This research highlights that the combination of cable and sacrificial piles is a suitable method to decrease the local scour at a single and a group of two piers, while sacrificial piles alone can be highly recommended for the group of three piers.