Assessing scour model performance with experimental data

Equations by Soulsby and Whitehouse have been applied to predicting mine burial by scour in tidal estuaries. The main equation, which has the functional form of [1-exp(-t/T)], computes the depth of the scour pit with time under steady state conditions. This theory may be applied to changing conditions by using the RMS values of the frictional stress at the bed and assuming a quasi-steady state of the RMS values over a small time period. From 1999-2002, the Naval Research Laboratory conducted scour burial experiments using instrumented mines that measure mine motion (heading, roll, and pitch) and percent burial (surface area covered with sediment). Using oceanographic and sediment data obtained during these experiments, this study examines how well the predictions match the mine burial measurements.