Physical Modeling - Sediments & Scour

Physical models provide an excellent opportunity to assess the interaction of waves, currents, and sediments for coastal or riverine projects. Interpretation of physical model results involving sediments requires a great deal of care due to scale effects that must be considered. Baird's engineers have been using physical models and carrying out these interpretations for over twenty years to assess a wide range of topics that involve sedimentation and scour, including:

• beach and shoreline stability including regional scale investigations;
• sediment traps and sediment bypassing systems;
• tidal inlet stability;
• scour in the vicinity of coastal structures;
• scour around bridge piers and other riverine projects.

Baird's experience in both physical and numerical modeling of sediments provides our engineers with a knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques. This allows us to apply the most appropriate tool(s) to each project, and helps to overcome limitations that exist in any technique.