Effects Of Scour Research Articles

Seismic performance of continuous rigid-frame bridges affected by flood-induced scour

River-crossing bridges in high-intensity seismic regions can be vulnerable to the combined action of earthquake and flood hazards; in particular, flood-induced scour of the substructure can have a notable influence on the seismic behavior of bridge structures. Currently, long-span continuous rigid-frame bridges are widely used to cross large rivers worldwide, yet related studies on their seismic performance under flood-induced scour have been lacking. This paper focuses on the effects of time-varying flood-induced scour on the seismic performance of long-span continuous rigid-frame bridges incorporating complex thin-walled reinforced concrete piers with pile group foundations. A detailed finite element (FE) model for a representative bridge structure is developed and the scour depth risk of the bridge is evaluated under several flood events for different return periods. The influence of flood-induced scour on the pile-soil interaction is examined throughout the bridge service life. Detailed seismic fragility assessment is carried out through nonlinear time-history analyses using a large suite of 100 seismic records. Particular focus is given to evaluate the time-varying scour effects on the pile and soil deformations as well as on the component and system level seismic fragility functions. It is shown that the total flood-induced scour depth exhibits a nonlinear increasing trend with the increase in service time, particularly in the initial 10 years of the bridge service life. The deformations of the scoured piles, within a depth of 20 m, are also shown to increase significantly with the increase in service time. The results indicate that the scour has a pronounced effect on both the component and system level seismic fragility functions. Importantly, although the piles (or pile groups) are typically designed to remain elastic under seismic loading, they are shown to be subjected to significant inelastic demands and governing damage levels as a result of time-varying flood-induced scour effect. Overall, this study provides a methodology to assess the time-varying seismic fragility of the scoured long-span rigid-frame bridges with complex thin-walled reinforced concrete piers, which can enhance the multi-hazard time-varying seismic resilience assessment for bridge structures with similar configurations.

Effects of flow splitters on local scour downstream of type-A trapezoidal piano key weir

This study investigates the effectiveness of flow splitters in reducing scour downstream of trapezoidal Piano Key Weirs through a comprehensive experimental study. Three distinct geometries of flow splitters—square, rectangular, and circular—are examined under various hydraulic conditions to assess their impact on local scouring. The experiments were conducted in a dedicated channel measuring 10 m in length, 0.75 m in width, and 0.80 m in height. The results indicate that flow splitters facilitate flow separation by linking trapped air beneath the flow to the free surface, thereby mitigating nappe oscillation. Additionally, the geometric variations of flow splitters did not significantly influence the upstream water head, with rectangular-shaped flow splitters proving more effective than square and circular splitters. On average, the maximum scour depth for the weir with rectangular, square, and circular splitters is reduced by approximately 13, 11, and 10%, respectively, compared to the weir without splitters. Furthermore, the volume of scour holes in tests with rectangular, square, and circular splitters showed reductions of 18.53, 17.77, and 14.92%, respectively, compared to tests without splitters. As discharge decreases, the effectiveness of these flow splitters in reducing scour depth becomes more pronounced. Due to the existence of splitters, the location of maximum scour depth approaches the weir. New equations were developed for predicting scour hole parameters with and without flow splitters, incorporating various splitter geometries. These equations were formulated using non-linear regression, achieving high accuracy with a correction factor, yielding R2 values between 0.78 and 0.94, and RMSE values ranging from 0.09 to 0.54. Overall, the findings underscore the significance of flow splitter geometry in mitigating scour effects, providing valuable insights for future engineering applications.

Rapid Assessment Method of Buckling Stability of Bridge Pier–Cap–Pile System Under Scour Effect

A novel analytical method for evaluating the buckling stability of the pier–cap–pile system under scour effect is proposed, and furthermore, the concept of rapid assessment of bridge buckling stability based on natural frequency is innovatively introduced in this paper. First, the total potential energy function of the bridge pier–cap–pile system is established, and the closed-form solution of structural system critical buckling load under scouring is solved according to the principle of stationary potential energy. Second, the sensitivity analyses of pier height, pier width, bending stiffness reduction in pier, pile slenderness ratio, pile bending stiffness reduction, m-value of soil and structural gravity to the buckling load are carried out. On this basis, 60 sets of sensitive parameter sample combinations are extracted by the Latin Hypercube Sampling algorithm, and a proxy model relating the critical buckling load to scour depth and the sensitive parameters are then developed using the McQuarter global optimization algorithm. Finally, the regression relationship model between the critical buckling load and the natural frequency is formed by combining the proxy model and the existing relationship between the scour depth and the first-order natural frequency. The feasibility of the proposed assessment method is demonstrated by the finite element method using a bridge case study, which provides an insight and a new means of quantitatively evaluating the safety of bridges under scour effect.

Influence of edge scour on lateral responses of monopiles with precast microbial reinforcement

Microbiologically Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) technology offers a promising method for stiffness reinforcement of offshore wind turbines (OWTs). However, edge scour around microbial reinforcement raises concerns about potential stiffness degradation. This study examines the effects of edge scour on the lateral responses of rigid piles reinforced with precast microbial reinforcement using a low-pH one-phase grouting method. Results from static tests, validated by numerical simulations, demonstrated that MICP technology bonded loose sand grains with the pile, forming a bio-reinforced pile with a larger diameter in the shallow soil layer, which significantly enhanced the original pile's bearing capacity and stiffness. However, edge scour reduced the embedment depth of the bio-reinforced pile, leading to a decrease in its bearing capacity and stiffness. Geometrically, protection width was found to have a relatively greater influence on stiffness and capacity compared to protection thickness. Additionally, symmetric cyclic loading tests were conducted to evaluate the effects of edge scour on backbone curves, secant stiffness, and damping ratio. Although MICP-based reinforcement notably enhanced both the secant stiffness and damping ratio of the piles, its effectiveness was completely lost once the scour depth reached the reinforcement thickness of the bio-reinforced soil block.

Influence of local scour on the dynamic responses of OWTs under wind-wave loads

Offshore wind turbines (OWTs) often operate in complex marine environments, where they are not only subjected to wind and wave loads, but also adversely affected by scour. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the effect of scour on the dynamic responses of OWTs under external loads to ensure structural safety, improve performance, and extend service life. In this study, a comprehensive numerical model of a 5-MW OWT, including tower, monopile, and soil-structure interaction (SSI) systems, is established by using ABAQUS platform. Aerodynamic loads is generated using blade element momentum, while wave loads is generated using the P-M spectral. The depth of scour is obtained based on on-site measured data. A comparative analysis is conducted between fixed foundations and SSI systems when conducting dynamic response analysis of OWTs under wave loads. Subsequently, the effect of scour on dynamic responses of OWTs under aerodynamic and wave loads is investigated. Results demonstrate that SSI can significantly influence the natural frequency and dynamic responses of the OWT. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly consider SSI when evaluating the dynamic response of the OWT with local scour. The tower-top displacement and acceleration of the OWT with show a significant increasing trend compared to the non-scoured OWT. An increase in scour depth leads to higher maximum stress and stress amplitude in the steel monopile, which could potentially cause fatigue issues and should be given due attention.

Analysis of Flood Resistance of Masonry Arch Bridges Combining Numerical Simulation and Probabilistic Analysis

ABSTRACT In the context of global climate change, extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and floods are becoming more frequent. The safety of masonry arch bridges is facing unprecedented challenges. This study aims to explore the collapse mechanism of bridges in flood environments by combining numerical simulation and stochastic analysis. Taking the collapse of the Original Zhenhai Bridge caused by heavy rainfall in July 2020 as a specific case, a three-dimensional numerical model is established to analyze the mechanical response of the bridge under the combined action of flood scour and water flow loads. Additionally, predictions of scour depth are made using both theoretical formulas and stochastic methods, comparing the impact of stochastic analysis on the mechanical performance of arch bridges under the same flood conditions. The study reveals that compared to pure scour, the structural characteristics of the bridge undergo significant changes under the coupled effects of scour and water flow loads. In extreme flood events, stochastic analysis has a significant impact on the structural safety under high flow conditions. The research results provide case references and scientific methods for the safety analysis of masonry arch bridges in flood environments.

Dynamic response of OWT tripod pile foundation in clay considering scour

Tripod-supported offshore wind turbine (OWT) foundation must withstand wind, wave, and seismic loads. In addition, it may be threatened by scouring during its service life, which could affect its bearing capacity and the overall OWT dynamic response. This study develops a three-dimensional numerical model of OWT tripod pile foundation to investigate scour effects. The numerical model incorporates a simplified single bounding surface model to simulate the dynamic stress–strain response of clay soil. The results revealed that scouring can reduce the first-order natural frequency of tripod pile-OWT system; however, the reduction usually does not lead to resonance within the 1P frequency range. Nonetheless, as the scour depth increases under wind and wave loads, the horizontal displacement of the wind turbine structure increases monotonously; however, its peak acceleration increases initially then decreases slightly as the scour depth continues to increase. Under seismic loading only, the OWT response exhibits complex evolution pattern as the scour depth increases. On the other hand, the foundation horizontal displacement and rotation angle increase significantly under combined wind-wave-seismic loads when the scouring depth reaches three times the pile diameter. Finally, the scouring depth has a relatively small impact on the foundation vertical displacement.

Erosion-corrosion failure of overhead air cooler in atmospheric tower

ABSTRACT During the hydrogenation process in a petrochemical plant, the air cooler serves as a crucial heat exchanger in atmospheric towers. However, the frequent corrosion and leaks of air coolers significantly impact the safety of the process. Firstly, the Aspen software is utilized to simulate the operation of an air cooler. Then, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations are performed to analyze the internal flow in the air cooler. Finally, four inlet optimization strategies are proposed. It is indicated that the condensation of the oil phase results in the formation of liquid-phase oil droplets that cause erosion-corrosion. The absence of liquid-phase water condensation implies that there is minimal dew point corrosion in the tube bundle. The turbulence kinetic energy near the entrance exhibits significant variation, making erosion-corrosion more likely to occur near the entrance of the cooling tube bundle. Furthermore, vortexes form near the entrances of the first and second rows, exacerbating the corrosion in the tube bundle. By optimizing the air cooler, numerical simulations showed that the shear force of the vortex on the tube wall is reduced by nearly 50%. The internal erosion and scour effect of the improved air cooler is reduced.

Local scour effects on seismic behavior of pile-group foundations in cohesionless soils: Insights from quasi-static tests

Local scour has been reported as a common phenomenon for pile-group foundations in marine, coastal, and riverine sites, while its effects on the seismic behavior of pile-group foundations are yet to be well documented. This paper reported a pair of quasi-static cyclic loading tests on 2 × 3 scoured pile-group foundation specimens, one in global scour and the other in local scour, to understand the influence of local scour on the seismic behavior, particularly in terms of soil-pile interaction features and failure mechanisms. Test results indicate a flexural failure mode for both specimens. Local scour does not change the order of limit states but postpones the occurrence of concrete cover cracking and rebar yielding due to the reduced lateral stiffness of the locally scoured piles. Moreover, local scour rarely changes the aboveground damage regions at the top of outer piles (one time the side length of squared pile section, D), but significantly aggravates and deepens the underground damage regions at outer piles (from 4 ∼ 5D for global scour to 3.7 ∼ 6D for local scour). Besides, local scour reduces the displacement ductility factor from 2.50 to 1.25 for the Easy-to-Repair limit state, resulting in adverse impacts on pile-group foundations in general.

Effect of fluid scour on stress distribution of film-substrate system

Under strong fluid scour in special service environment, the film-substrate system is prone to weaken its mechanical properties due to the additional shear stress by fluid, resulting in film debonding. The present study establishes a mechanical model incorporating the fluid shear stress for a film-substrate system with partial debonding. The debonding length, scour strength and thermal mismatch are considered in the model, respectively. Fluid induces compressive stress on inflow side and tensile stress on outflow side. Potential debonding behavior of film by the additional shear stress is qualitatively analyzed. Results show that the compressive stress by fluid releases part of the tensile stress of thermal mismatch, may mitigate surface cracking of film. The surface scour effect is amplified by the partial debonding, and is further enhanced with the increase of debonding length. The unevenness of stress distribution at the interface is intensified by the debonding and fluid scouring. The fluid scour poses a potential threat to the film-substrate system.

Analysis of flow field characteristics and factors influencing the excavation chamber in large-diameter slurry shield

The study aims to improve the flow field characteristics in the excavation chamber of the slurry shield to mitigate cutterhead clogging under cohesive strata. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is employed to quantitatively investigate the impact of scouring flux, cutterhead rotational speed, adding nozzles, and excavation methods on the flow field characteristics. Results show that increasing the existing scouring system flux even to 2000 m3/h couldn’t improve the slurry flowability at the cutterhead periphery. However, increasing the cutterhead rotational speed can significantly improve the slurry flowability at the cutterhead periphery and opening, resulting in a more uniform distribution of the flow field. Similarly, adding nozzles at the cutterhead periphery has positive effects. When the total scouring flux of 6 additional nozzles reached 800 m3/h, a favorable scour effect is achieved near the excavating face. Furthermore, adopting the air pressure assisted mode, the flowability of slurry at the cutterhead opening shows a significant enhancement compared to the full-chamber, and upper-half nozzles are transformed into non-submerged jets achieving a better scouring effect. Based on the analysis, it is recommended to add nozzles at the cutterhead periphery. If geological conditions permit, the “high-speed, low-penetration” or air pressure assisted excavation mode can be attempted.

Multihazard resilience and economic loss evaluation method for cable-stayed bridges under the combined effects of scour and earthquakes

Cable-stayed bridges (CSBs) commonly experience scour-induced foundation issues during their service life, impacting both structural seismic resilience and economic losses. Nonetheless, these aspects remain inadequately addressed in existing seismic codes. This paper presents a comprehensive probabilistic multihazard fragility, resilience, and economic loss evaluation method for CSBs influenced by scour and earthquakes. Numerical models with various scour depths considering epistemic uncertainties in loads, structural properties, and soil conditions are first established using the Latin-hypercube sampling (LHS) method. Incremental dynamic analyses (IDAs) are then conducted on these models in cases with near-fault and far-field bidirectional ground motions, yielding probabilistic multihazard demand models and component- and system-level multihazard fragility surfaces for diverse limit states. Subsequently, resilience and economic losses are comparatively evaluated by integrating damage probabilities with corresponding uncertain functional recovery functions. Eventually, a rapid bridge traffic capacity evaluation method based on the critical traffic capacity surface concept is devised to effectively assess CSB open patterns under various peak ground accelerations (PGAs), scour depths, and repair times. The numerical results show apparent shifts in the nonmonotonic seismic fragility, resilience, and economic loss of the case CSB due to scour effects, with the rates of change reaching 31.4 %, 34 %, and 24.8 %, respectively, associated with a critical scour depth of 12 m at IM = 0.8 g. The developed analysis framework provides a reference for the life-cycle design and maintenance of CSBs affected by multihazard scour and earthquakes.

Effects of Local Scouring on Load-Bearing Behaviors of Monopile–Friction Wheel Hybrid Foundations on Sandy Deposit Soil under Lateral Loading

Effects of Local Scouring on Load-Bearing Behaviors of Monopile–Friction Wheel Hybrid Foundations on Sandy Deposit Soil under Lateral Loading

Local scour downstream of type-A trapezoidal stepped piano key weir in sand and gravel sediments

ABSTRACT This study examines the scouring effect downstream of a type-A trapezoidal stepped Piano key weir using experimental methods. The experiments were performed on weirs, both with and without steps at the outlet keys, while considering various discharge rates, tailwater depths, and bed material sizes. The study scrutinized three unique weir configurations, each with different dimensions and step counts at the outlet keys: the first, second, and third weirs had 5, 10, and 15 steps respectively. The findings indicate that the maximum scour depths in the Piano key weirs with 5, 10, and 15 steps were, on average, 17.5%, 31%, and 19% less than those in the non-stepped weir. It was also noted that an increase in discharge and a decrease in tailwater depth and bed material size led to an increase in the maximum scour depth. Moreover, an increase in the number of steps and a decrease in the size of the bed materials resulted in a reduction in sediment ridge height. The analysis suggests that the average scour index values in the 10-stepped weir were about 21% lower compared to the non-stepped weir. These insights contribute to the design and optimization of hydraulic structures to effectively mitigate scouring effects.

Effect of scour on the fatigue life of offshore wind turbines and its prevention through passive structural control

Abstract. Offshore wind turbine (OWT) support structures are exposed to the risk of fatigue damage and scour, and this risk can be effectively mitigated by installing structural control devices such as tuned mass dampers (TMDs). However, time-varying scour altering OWTs' dynamic characteristics has an impact on the TMD design and fatigue life, which has rarely been studied before. In this paper, a simplified modal model is used to investigate the influence of scour and a TMD on the fatigue life evaluation of a 5 MW OWT's support structure, and a traditional method and a newly developed optimization technique are both presented to obtain TMD parameters. This optimization technique aims at finding optimal parameters of the TMD which maximize the fatigue life of a hotspot at the mudline, and the effect of time-varying scour can be considered. This study assumes that the TMD operates in the fore–aft (FA) direction, while the vibration in the side–side (SS) direction is uncontrolled. Results show that scour can decrease the fatigue life by about 24.1 % and that the TMD can effectively suppress vibration and increase the fatigue life. When the scour depth reaches 1.3 times the pile diameter, the TMD with a mass ratio of 1 % can increase the fatigue life of an OWT's support structure by about 64.6 %. Further, it is found that the fatigue life can be extended by 25 % with the TMD optimized by the proposed optimization technique rather than using a traditional design method which does not take the change in dynamic characteristics into account.

Scour Hole Evolution Near A Detached Low-Crested Rubble-Mound Breakwater

Low-crested detached breakwaters are affected by coastal hydro- and morphodynamics, due to complex wave-structure- seabed interactions, which impact their stability, namely due to scour effects. The scour phenomenon has been under study in several mobile-bed physical model research studies (e.g., Fredsøe et al., 1997, Sumer et al., 2000 and Sumer et al., 2005). However, scour phenomenon near detached rubble-mound breakwaters is still far from being well understood. Therefore, the present research work comprises an innovative and comprehensive analysis of the local morphodynamics around a detached low-crested rubble-mound breakwater, with a special focus on the quantitative characterization of scour phenomena, namely the scour depth.

A Numerical Model for the Scour Effect on the Bearing Capacity of an Offshore Wind Turbine with a Five-Bucket Jacket Foundation

As offshore wind farms move into deeper waters and the capacity of offshore wind turbines (OWTs) increases, a new type of OWT foundation needs to be developed. In this study, a new type of five-bucket jacket foundation (FBJF) was proposed based on the broad application of a multi-bucket jacket foundation (MBJF) in offshore wind farms. The soil around the OWT foundation is subject to scour due to the complex marine environment. To investigate the effects of scouring on the FBJF, a series of local-scour simplified finite-element models of the FBJF were established using ABAQUS, and the effects of scouring depth and the extent on the bearing capacity of the FBJF with the monotonic load were analyzed. Then, the failure envelopes of the FBJF under combined loading were obtained using the fixed-displacement ratio method, and the effects of various scour conditions on the failure envelopes were compared. The results indicate that the failure envelope profile contracts inward, and the bearing capacity decreases with the increasing scouring depth and extent. Furthermore, the failure envelopes of the FBJF under different vertical loads were calculated, and the FV-FH-FM failure envelopes of the FBJF were obtained through interpolation. Finally, the effects of different scour conditions on the FV-FH-FM failure envelopes of the FBJF were analyzed. The results show that the FV-FH-FM failure envelopes of the FBJF have similar profiles and follow the same trend under different scour conditions.

Experimental and numerical investigation into the local scour of bridge cofferdam with anti-scour ribs

Cofferdam is widely employed in the construction of underwater bridge foundations. Its crucial attribute lies in providing a dedicated platform for construction activities and enhancing the water resistance dimensions in structural design, consequently amplifying local scour. However, previous research on local scour has seldom investigated the effect of construction facilities on the life cycle development of local scour on foundations. This gap has led to a misunderstanding of protective strategies against local scour throughout the construction period. In this paper, a scour experiment platform was implemented with a unidirectional flume. Physical model experiments were conducted to scrutinize the protective impact of anti-scour rib structures against local scour. The experimentally determined scour depth was compared to assess the performance of the anti-scour rib protection system. Oblique photogrammetry was subsequently used to capture the morphology of the equilibrium scour pit in the experiments. The associated topographical data were imported into Fluent commercial fluid software for in-depth flow field analysis. A numerical flume model was established to examine the hydraulic characteristics under two distinct topographical conditions: a smooth riverbed during the initial stage of scour and a scoured riverbed at the equilibrium stage of scour. To further determine the protective mechanism of anti-scour rib protection, the influence of anti-scour rib protection on shear stress was investigated numerically. Analyses revealed that incorporating scour protection ribs during cofferdam construction alters the flow field characteristics, hindering the downward movement of subsurface flow beneath the structure, reducing bed shear stress, and consequently mitigating scour effects. The instantaneous protective effect of scour protection ribs strengthens as the scour topography develops. The protective effectiveness of scour protection ribs was mainly influenced by rib length, spacing, and shape.

Experimental Investigation on Scouring v.s. Mass Failure of Unsaturated Soil Bed: Implications for Debris Flow Initiation and Erosion

AbstractScouring and mass failure are two common mechanisms used to describe soil bed erosion, but their combined effects are often not considered. To better understand how these mechanisms compete and under what conditions they prevail, it is essential to consider infiltration and a more realistic unsaturated soil bed. This study investigates soil bed erosion by considering unsaturated soil mechanics, a wetting front, and both erosion mechanisms of scouring and mass failure. Physical experiments were conducted on model water runoff over an unsaturated sand bed to investigate the effects of soil water content and flow velocity on erosion. Experimental results show that current understanding of soil bed erosion can be enhanced by adopting unsaturated soil mechanics and considering the combined effects of scouring and mass failure. The scouring rate is found to be independent of the bed water content because it only affects the uppermost soil particles, which immediately become saturated once water flows over them. Mass failure, on the other hand, is initiated at the wetting front when the rate of infiltration exceeds that of scouring. The depth of mass failure can be described by the net infiltration depth, which is defined as the difference between the infiltration and scouring depths. The net infiltration depth is jointly governed by the soil water content and flow velocity. The crucial role of the coupled effects of the hydro‐mechanical behavior of unsaturated soil in the realistic modeling of soil bed erosion is demonstrated. Outcomes present advancement toward improved hazard assessments of debris flows.

Condition Monitoring of Railway Bridges Using Vehicle Pitch to Detect Scour.

This study proposes the new condition monitoring concept of using features in the measured rotation, or 'pitch' signal, of a crossing vehicle as an indicator of the presence of foundation scour in a bridge. The concept is explored through two-dimensional vehicle-bridge interaction modelling, with a reduction in stiffness under a pier used to represent the effects of scour. A train consisting of three 10-degree-of-freedom carriages cross the model on a profiled train track, each train varying slightly in terms of mass and velocity. An analysis of the pitch of the train carriages can clearly identify when scour is present. The concept is further tested in a scaled laboratory experiment consisting of a tractor-trailer crossing a four-span simply supported bridge on piers. The foundation support is represented by four springs under each pier, which can be replaced with springs of a reduced stiffness to mimic the effect of scour. The laboratory model also consistently shows a divergence in vehicle pitch between healthy and scoured bridge states.