The Use of Scrap Tires for Scour Protection

Alan J Bilanin
Andrew E. Kaufman

A new low cost scour countermeasure has been developed that utilizes a ready supply of discarded automobile tires. Disposal of the yearly tire waste stream is a staggering national problem. The scour countermeasure system will be discussed with regard to its hydraulic performance, life cycle, installation costs, water quality issues, impact on marine resources, aesthetics, and impact on the US scrap tire waste stream. If all scour critical bridges were remediated with the tire system, then more than an entire year's worth of scrap tires would be recycled (250 million tires). Results of half scale and one eighth scale hydraulic performance tests conducted at Colorado State University (CSU) will be reviewed. The testing in the CSU Tarbella Flume showed scour reduction of over 60% with the scrap tire system. The design methodology developed by Ayres Associates will be presented. The methodology shows that the size of the tire system depends on the contraction scour and not on the local scour around a pier or abutment. The tire scour prevention system will be compared to alternate scour countermeasures. One of the advantages of the system is that only a small fraction of the excavated soil has to be removed from the site