Assessment of rock scour in spillway channels

In Sweden, spillways are commonly equipped with a raw or excavated rock channel. These unlined rock channels are usually expected to resist the erosive force of flowing water. However, rock scour occurs in the channel after years of use or multiple flood events.

Previous studies showed that semi-theoretical methods are widely used to assess the scour in rock channels, even though the results are associated with significant uncertainties. In addition, the experimental studies of rock scour have mainly been focused on a single block scour, and the more complex scour process, i.e., multi-block scour, is still seldom investigated. Accordingly, this project aims to fill this gap and finally implement a developed tool for predicting the rock scour in the field. The project will contribute to a better understanding of the scour mechanism and a developed tool for predicting and assessing the risk of rock scour in spillway channels.