Experimental assessment of the influence of foundation scour on the dynamic response of bridge piers through shaking table tests

M. Aimar; Maria Giuseppina Limongelli; Sotirios Argyroudis; Mohamed Belmokhtar; Elisa Bertolesi; Nicola Brusa; S. Carbonari; Christophe Chevalier; A. Ciancimino; Ivan Cottone; Adam Crewe; F. De Luca; R. De Risi; F. Dezi; M. Dietz; Asaad Faramarzi; Sebastiano Foti; F. Gara; Pier Francesco  Giordano; Tansu Gokce; Tony Horseman; Dimitris Karamitros; Luca Martinelli; Stergios Mitoulis; Marlio Molina Manrique; Panagiotis Panetsos; Eleonora Perugini; E. Rovithis; Franziska Schmidt; Enrico Tubaldi; E. VOYAGAKI; David Williams; George Mylonakis; A. Sextos

Publication Title
Experimental assessment of the influence of foundation scour on the dynamic response of bridge piers through shaking table tests

Abstract

Foundation scour is a primary cause of bridge collapse worldwide and significantly impacts the seismic performance of bridge structures. Several studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of scour on the soil-structure system, as it reduces both the capacity and stiffness of foundations. This study describes a comprehensive experimental campaign investigating the dynamic behavior of scaled pier-caisson systems subjected to various local scour scenarios, including the evaluation of low-cost mitigation strategies. The tests were carried out at the UKCRIC Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction Laboratory (SoFSI), University of Bristol, as part of the EU-funded project Structural Performance monitoring and evaluation of scoured bridges under dynamic actions (SCOUR&SHAKE), within the EU-ERIES transnational access initiative. The campaign involved shaking table tests under white noise and seismic inputs to assess vibration-based monitoring techniques and to investigate how scour alters seismic performances, particularly in terms of soil-structure interaction. This experimental study is the first to systematically compare the effects of different scour scenarios on the seismic response of shallow foundation systems. The findings contribute to the development of more robust scour detection methods and helps to enhance the seismic resilience of bridge infrastructure.

Authors
M. Aimar; Maria Giuseppina Limongelli; Sotirios Argyroudis; Mohamed Belmokhtar; Elisa Bertolesi; Nicola Brusa; S. Carbonari; Christophe Chevalier; A. Ciancimino; Ivan Cottone; Adam Crewe; F. De Luca; R. De Risi; F. Dezi; M. Dietz; Asaad Faramarzi; Sebastiano Foti; F. Gara; Pier Francesco Giordano; Tansu Gokce; Tony Horseman; Dimitris Karamitros; Luca Martinelli; Stergios Mitoulis; Marlio Molina Manrique; Panagiotis Panetsos; Eleonora Perugini; E. Rovithis; Franziska Schmidt; Enrico Tubaldi; E. VOYAGAKI; David Williams; George Mylonakis; A. Sextos

Published In

11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)

Theme

Session 3: Resilient geotechnical infrastructure