Abstract
Experimental results of detailed flow measurements using an Acoustic-Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) around a complex bridge pier (CBP) are presented. The pier consists of a column, a pile cap (PC) and a 2×4 pile group. The time-averaged velocities, turbulence intensities, and Reynolds stresses are studied and presented at different horizontal and vertical planes. Streamlines obtained from the velocity fields are used to show the complexity of the flow around the pier. It is shown that the main feature of the flow responsible for the entrainment of the bed sediments is a contracted (pressurized) flow below the PC toward the piles. A deflected flow around the PC and a strong down-flow along its sides are observed and have been measured. It is shown that these flow patterns also cause sediment entrainment. Vortex flow behind the PC and amplification of turbulence intensity along its sides near the downstream region can be other reasons for the scour hole (SH) development. Turbulence intensities and Reynolds shear stresses are presented and discussed. A comparison is made between the flow field measured with the equilibrium SH and that measured on the fixed flat-bed. The results show that the flow field around the PC is considerably influenced by the development of the SH. The extent of the wake region at the rear of the PC is about 1.4 times larger for the fixed bed (FB) than for the scoured bed (SB). Moreover, the size of the core of high turbulent kinetic energy K, as well as the maximum values of K behind the column for the FB case is larger than that of the SB case. When a scour hole develops, the flow below the PC around the piles is considered to be the main cause of the scour. This is the first time that these observations about the flow and turbulence field around a complex bridge pier are reported and analyzed. In addition to improving the understanding of the flow structure, the present detailed measurements can also be used for benchmarking and verification of numerical models.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Breusers, H.N.C., Niccollet, G., Shen, H.W.: Local scour around cylindrical piles. J. Hydraul. Res. 15(3), 211–252 (1977)
Melville, B.W., Coleman, S.E.: Bridge scour. Water Resources Publications, Colo (2000)
Sheppard, D., Max Odeh, M., Glasser, T.: Large Scale Clearwater Local Pier Scour Experiments. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 114(10), 1210–1226 (2004)
Dargahi, B.: Controlling mechanism of local scouring. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 116(10), 1197–1214 (1990)
Kirkil, G., Constantinescu, S.G., Ettema, R.: Coherent structures in the flow field around a circular cylinder with scour hole. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 134(5), 572–587 (2008)
Landers, M.N., Mueller, D.S.: Channel scour at bridges in the United States. Pub. FHWA-RD-95-184. USDOT, Turner Fairbanks Hwy. Res. Ctr., McLean, Va (1996)
Melville, B.W.: Local scour at bridge sites. Rep. No. 117, School of Engineering, The University of Auckland, New Zealand (1975)
Ataie-Ashtiani, B., Beheshti, A.A.: Experimental investigation of clear-water local scour at pile groups. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 132(10), 1100–1104 (2006)
Dey, S., Raikar, R.V.: Characteristics of horseshoe vortex in developing scour holes at piers. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 133(4), 399–413 (2007)
Ahmed, F., Rajaratnam, N.: Flow around bridge piers. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 124(3), 288–300 (1998)
Graf, W.H., Istiarto, I.: Flow pattern in the scour hole around a cylinder. J. Hydraul. Res. 40(1), 13–20 (2002)
Roulund, A., Sumer, B.M., Fredsøe, J., Michelsen, J.: Numerical and experimental investigation of flow and scour around a circular pile. J. Fluid Mech. 534, 351–401 (2005)
Kirkil, G., Constantinescu, G.: Flow and turbulence structure around an in-stream rectangular cylinder with scour hole. Water Resour. Res. 46(11) (2010). doi:10.1029/2010WR009336
Ataie-Ashtiani, B., Aslani-Kordkandi, A.: Flow field around side-by-side piers with and without a scour hole. Eur. J. Mech. B/Fluids 36, 152–166 (2012)
Ataie-Ashtiani, B., Aslani-Kordkandi, A.: Flow Field around Single and Tandem Piers. Flow Turbulence and Combustion 90(3), 472–490 (2013)
Coleman, S.E.: Clearwater local scour at complex piers. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 131(4), 330–334 (2005)
Ataie-Ashtiani, B., Baratian-Ghorghi, Z., Beheshti, A.A.: Experimental investigation of clear-water local scour of compound piers. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 136 (6), 343–51 (2010)
Sheppard, D., Max Glasser, T.: Sediment scour at piers with complex geometries. Proceedings of 2nd International Conf. on Scour and Erosion. World Scientific, Singapore (2004)
Beale, S.B., Spalding, D.B.: A numerical study of unsteady fluid flow in in-line and staggered tube banks. J. Fluids Struct. 13, 723–754 (1999)
Ge, L., Lee, S.O., Sotiropoulos, F., Sturm, T.: 3D unsteady RANS modeling of complex hydraulic engineering flows. II: model validation and flow physics. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 131(9), 809–820 (2005)
Ge, L., Sotiropoulos, F.: 3D unsteady RANS modeling of complex hydraulic engineering flows. I: numerical model. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 131(9), 800–808 (2005)
Beheshti, A.A., Ataie-Ashtiani, B.: Experimental Study of Three Dimensional Flow Field around a Complex Bridge Pier. J. Eng. Mech. ASCE 136(2), 143–154 (2010)
Kumar, A., Kothyari, U.C.: Three-dimensional flow characteristics within the scour hole around circular uniform and compound piers. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 138 (5), 420–429 (2012)
Beheshti, A.A., Ataie-Ashtiani, B.: Analysis of threshold and incipient conditions for sediment movement. Coast. Eng., Int. J. for Coastal, Harbour, Offshore Eng. 55, 423–430 (2008)
NORTEK AS. ADV operation material. Nortek AS, Vollen, Norway;1996
Wahl, T.L.: Analyzing ADV data using WinADV. Proc., Joint Conf. on Water Resources Engineering and Water Resources Planning and Management, ASCE, Reston, Va (2000)
Wahl, L.T.: Discussion of “Despiking Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter data” by D. G. Goring and V. I. Nikora. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 129(6), 484–487 (2003)
Voulgaris, G., Trowbridge, J.: Evaluation of the acoustic doppler velocimeter (ADV) for turbulence measurements. J. Atmos. Ocean Technol. 15(1), 272–288 (1998)
García, C.M., Cantero, M.I., Niño, Y., García, M.H.: Turbulence Measurements with Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 131(12), 1062–1073 (2005)
Ettema, R., Kirkil, G., Muste, M.: Similitude of Large-Scale Turbulence in Experiments on Local Scour at Cylinders. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 132(1), 33–40 (2006)
Schlichting, H.: Boundary layer theory, 7th Ed. McGraw-Hill, New York (1979)
Richardson, E.V., Davis, S.R.: Evaluating scour at bridges Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 18 (HEC-18), Rep. No. FHWANHI 01-001. Federal Highway Administration, Washington (2001)
Sheppard, D., Max Renna, R.: Florida Bridge Scour Manual. Published by Florida Department of Transportation, 605 Suwannee Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399–0450 (2005)
Sumer, B.M., Chua, L.H.C., Cheng, N.S., Fredsøe, J.: Influence of turbulence on bed load sediment transport. J. Hydraul. Eng. ASCE 129(8), 585–596 (2003)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beheshti, A.A., Ataie-Ashtiani, B. Scour Hole Influence on Turbulent Flow Field around Complex Bridge Piers. Flow Turbulence Combust 97, 451–474 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-016-9707-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-016-9707-8