Development of Database for Louisiana Highway Bridge–Scour Data

Scour of highway bridges in Louisiana has been collected and monitored since 1970. Approximately 120 bridges are being monitored at a frequency of one to several times per year with an average of six cross sections for each bridge. Consequently, a tremendous amount of scour data in the format of traditional paper files already exists for these bridges. Manual and visual analysis of data has been tedious work, and there existed a need to develop a computer program and a database system to perform scour-data management. Database-management software has been developed for storage, retrieval, and analysis of scour data of Louisiana highway bridges. The system stores the data in a database system within the network. A computer program was developed as a front-end to allow the user to access the database, retrieve the data via several search routines, plot the scour data for analysis, and perform data updates. The program compiles the on-site data collected during scour survey and the bridge data relevant to scour properties. It can be used in ( a) determining local scour at the piers and contraction scour at the bridge, ( b) analyzing the long-term changes in riverbed elevations at various locations in the site, ( c) providing the major parameters that are commonly used in bridgescour models for scour prediction, and ( d) evaluating site conditions and soil properties for scour repair. The program tabulates and plots the bridge information, pier data, and coordinates of the river cross sections at the survey locations. It displays survey maps and soil-boring data. The analysis of the bridge-scour data is performed using plots of the cross sections, longitudinal sections, and contour lines of the scour data. The history of the scour at any specific location is plotted in time plots. Further implementations of the database system are suggested for more accurate determination of potential scours in highway bridges.