Laboratory experiments for driftwood accumulation at bridge deck in narrow channel

The manuscript presents the results of laboratory experiments aimed at investigating the temporal development of driftwood accumulation at a bridge with a single deck and no piers, placed in a narrow channel. The experimental configuration resembles the geometry of many bridges in the densely urbanized area around Milan, Italy. The experiments were realized varying the Froude number of the incoming flow and the feed rate of driftwood, while keeping the water elevation of the incoming flow at half the deck. Thanks to videos captured during the experiments, it was possible to monitor the progressive development of the accumulation and its abrupt reduction during washout events. The experimental results comprehend the temporal evolution of the projected area of the material present upstream, below and downstream of the bridge, as well as of the backwater height induced by the accumulation.