Turbulent Stresses at the Bottom Surface near an Abutment: Laboratory-Scale Numerical Experiment
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 2
Abstract
The flow field around a bridge abutment is analyzed by means of large eddy simulation. The geometrical configuration corresponds to the initial condition of a scour process (flat bed). The three-dimensional flow structure in front of the abutment is analyzed with special emphasis on its effects on shear stresses and pressure gradients on the bottom wall which, in turn, are discussed with respect to their potential scouring action. Both first- and second-order statistics around the abutment are quantitatively discussed, together with probability density distributions of stresses in specific locations. The investigation shows that several terms may play a relevant role in sediment transport around the obstacle. Specifically, the mean horizontal pressure gradient may reach values as large as two orders of magnitude that of a canonical boundary layer, whereas the instantaneous vertical pressure gradient may give an uplifting force comparable to the immersed weight of the sediment. The analysis suggests that local scour models should incorporate the contribution to the destabilizing force coming from pressure stresses and from turbulent fluctuations.
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Acknowledgments
The present research has been financially supported by Italian Ministero per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, under contract “Interazione turbolenza-sedimenti in uno scavo localizzato in corrispondenza della spalla di un ponte.” Anna Teruzzi has been supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Politecnico di Milano during most of the research project. Dr. A. Radice of DIIAR, Politecnico di Milano is gratefully acknowledged for useful discussions regarding qualitative comparison of our numerical data with experimental data coming from a similar physical experiment carried out in Milano, Italy.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 2 • February 2009
Pages: 106 - 117
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 3, 2007
Accepted: Jul 10, 2008
Published online: Feb 1, 2009
Published in print: Feb 2009
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