Abstract
This study investigates the flood flow characteristics in a compound channel subject to both lateral contraction (caused by bridge abutment/embankment) and vertical contraction (caused by bridge deck submergence) at bridge sites. Three abutment setback distances and three pressure flow types [free surface (FS), submerged orifice (SO) and overtopping (OT)] are tested. The results show that turbulence structures in the approach channel remained the same irrespective of downstream obstruction. However, lesser abutment setback from the main channel led to greater flow acceleration as the flow approached the bridge section, where SO flow had the highest flow intensity and FS flow had the lowest. At a bridge contraction, the distributions of flow velocity, turbulence intensity, and Reynolds shear stress are significantly affected by the type of pressure flow and the extent of contraction. Enclosed counterclockwise secondary circulating flows in the main channel may occur for a combination of long or medium setback abutments and a FS flow, while other conditions usually feature open-ended upward flows due to flow relief. The strong downslope flow component detected at the main channel bank has a noticeable bank erosion capability. The bed shear stress, which is an indicator of sediment scour, is highlighted by apparent peak zones at the main channel bank and abutment toe. Finally, clear relationships between turbulence intensity, unit discharge ratio, and lateral contraction length are found. In general, normalized turbulence intensities on the floodplain and in the main channel can be used to assess the contribution of macroturbulence to the final bed topography after scour.
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Data Availability Statement
All data obtained in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
A portion of this work was sponsored by AASHTO, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, and was conducted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 3 • March 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 4, 2020
Accepted: Oct 12, 2020
Published online: Jan 12, 2021
Published in print: Mar 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jun 12, 2021
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Bridge abutments
- Bridge components
- Bridge decks
- Bridge engineering
- Channels (waterway)
- Decks
- Fluid mechanics
- Hydraulic contraction
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic properties
- Hydraulic structures
- Hydraulics
- Hydrologic engineering
- River engineering
- Scour
- Sediment
- Shear stress
- Stress (by type)
- Structural analysis
- Structural engineering
- Structural systems
- Turbulence
- Water and water resources
- Waterways
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