Both bridge abutment and spur dike acts as obstruction to flow and allow water to move downward and generate horseshoe vortices so that scouring occurs around each of them. Since, both are generating horseshoe vortices and plunging water downwards to enhance scouring, will the scouring pattern be same around each of the aforementioned structure?
I would think, but do not know from measurements, there are differences when the spur dike is submerged would be different from abutment which is never fully submerged. Also spur dikes are installed at various heights, angles, positions relative to channel velocity, and these should result in different results. I suppose abutment scour may also vary with the size of abutment, orientation to flow velocity, etc. Both structures are apt to initiate scour, but I would not suggest they are the same.
Yes submergence creates overtopping and different trailing vortex and therefore primary vortex. If both are unsubmerged then they are pretty much the same.
Prof. Papanicolaou, It means that when any of the aforementioned structures are submerged then due to overtopping flow's interaction with the separation zone, the vortex type will change, is this fact you want to convey?
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