observation of pier inclination caused by scouring phenomenon of foundation ground using a large-scale open channel and development of its monitoring system

In this study, a model experiment with a large-scale open channel was carried out to elucidate the geotechnical instability mechanism with a central focus on scouring of the ground supporting the bridge piers and changes in the subgrade reaction. in addition, a system for monitoring conditions of bridge piers was studied to inform users of the danger before the road administrator reached the bridge. results of the large-scale open-channel tests revealed that the supporting ground was washed away by scouring when slight displacement and tilting of the bridge piers occurred. the scouring area has subgrade reaction, q = approximately 0 kn/m², and the bearing capacity was not expected. in this case, the localized flow around the footings was generally consistent with the results reported so far. we developed a monitoring system reflecting the results of this large-scale open-canal test and installed it on an actual bridge. no drift was observed in inclination angles on the monitoring system installed on the actual bridge due to temperature changes. the measured values were transmitted to a cloud server via lpwa (low-power wide area) communication to enable condition monitoring on the web.