Application of Artificial Neural Network, Kriging, and Inverse Distance Weighting Models for Estimation of Scour Depth around Bridge Pier with Bed Sill

This paper outlines the application of the multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network (ANN), ordinary kriging (OK), and inverse distance weighting (IDW) models in the estimation of local scour depth around bridge piers. As part of this study, bridge piers were installed with bed sills at the bed of an experimental flume. Experimental tests were conducted under different flow conditions and varying distances between bridge pier and bed sill. The ANN, OK and IDW models were applied to the experimental data and it was shown that the artificial neural network model predicts local scour depth more accurately than the kriging and inverse distance weighting models. It was found that the ANN with two hidden layers was the optimum model to predict local scour depth. The results from the sixth test case showed that the ANN with one hidden layer and 17 hidden nodes was the best model to predict local scour depth. Whereas the results from the fifth test case found that the ANN with three hidden layers was the best model to predict local scour depth.