New Technique for Measuring Soil Shear Stress Could Improve Bridge Designs

Posted: Oct 16, 2025

A new method for improving measurements of soil shear stress, erosion, and scour will help engineers design bridges that are more resilient and longer-lasting. Researchers at South Dakota State University developed and designed a new apparatus to measure erosion and used an alternative mathematical computation to calculate shear stress. The work is a step toward better understanding the forces at work on soils around bridge piers and abutments and could lead to improved bridge designs.

Francis Ting, Ph.D.
South Dakota State University

Laboratory Measurements of Bed Shear Stress and Soil Erosion Rate in Cohesive Soils