Various methods are proposed to control scouring around a bridge abutment. In this study,
experiments were conducted at a vertical wall abutment in a laboratory flume to explore the effect
of using a protective pile installed upstream the abutment for reducing the effects of local scour
aroundthe bridge abutment. Tests were conducted with different pile diameters and positions under
the same flow conditions. In addition, a 3-D numerical model was used to simulate the scour at the
bridge abutment. The model used a finite-volume method to solve the non-transient Navier-Stocks
equations and a bed load conservation equation. The k-ɛ turbulence model was used to solve the
Reynolds-stress term. The 3-D flow model was verified by comparing the obtained results with the
experimental results. It was found from this research study that, the optimum case of pile is
(D/B=0.125, x/B=0.25, b/B=1.0), it reduced the relative scour depth by about 41%. The results
showed a good agreement between simulation and experimental data. Also, an empirical equation
was developed from the experimental results for computing the maximum scour depth at a bridge
abutment with a protective pile.