Impacts of bridge-pier types on balancing ice jams: an experimental study

The presence of ice jam increases the possibility of upstream water level, which can easily trigger ice jam flooding. Bridge pier types can significantly influence backwater heights. By using a series of experiments in the laboratory, the impact of bridge-pier types were investigated. It shows that, when Fr ≤ 0.145, the backwater height from ice jam without pier is smaller than that with piers. When Fr>0.145, the backwater height from ice jam without pier is larger than that with piers. The sequence of backwater height due to ice jam is the tip-shaped pier, rectangular pier, Round end-shaped pier, cylindrical pier from large to small. For rivers that have ice jam problems, it is better to choose cylindrical pier or round end-shaped pier.