The Influence of the Hydrodynamic Conditions on Navigation near Bridge Area

In this paper, an analysis method was proposed to investigate the hydrodynamic conditions of navigation near bridge area. Two piers were designed with different spacing and the flow field of bridge area was simulated. Results reveal that the waterway near bridge area is divided into three zones. In the backwater zone, the traverse velocity reaches the first peak with the maximum value; the width of transverse flow around the pier can be calculated by pier Reynolds number, flow Reynolds number, and flow Froude number. In the turbulent zone, the traverse variations of longitudinal velocity, flow Reynolds number, and flow Froude number are the most obvious. In recovery zone, the effects of pier disappear, the traverse variations of flow characteristics are almost negligible. This method has been applied on the Qujiang Bridge. Transverse velocity in backwater zone exceeds the design requirement of 0.3 m/s and the width of transverse flow is 4.22 m.