Hazard mitigation r&d series: Article 2-scour, flooding, and inundation

The FHWA hydraulics R&D program conducts advanced and applied research to mitigate disaster risks by addressing three of the main hazards. Researchers with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), under the Hydraulics Research program at the J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Laboratory located at FHWA's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC), and their partners currently are conducting applied and exploratory advanced research to improve prediction of flooding related damages and design guidance for mitigating impacts on bridges and other hydraulic structures. When a bridge crossing over a waterway is partially or entirely submerged during a flood, the deck might be subjected to significant hydrodynamic loading. The research study will consist of laboratory experiments, field data, and computational fluid dynamics simulations to derive a new adjustment factor. The researchers will mount culvert models on a carefully designed force balance system that will include tension coil springs with load cells supporting the culvert models.