Experimental Study of Pressure Flow due to Vertical Contraction Using Particle Image Velocimetry
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 7
Abstract
Pressure flow due to vertical contraction occurs under a bridge when the river water level rises above the bottom chord of the bridge. The flow accelerates inside the contraction and diverges downstream of it, resulting in increased bed shear stress in the vicinity of the contraction. The present study investigates the effect of vertical contraction on the flow field and bed shear stress inside and downstream of the contraction by conducting laboratory experiments in a smooth, rigid-bed channel. The velocity field is measured using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The effect of independent variables, namely, streamwise length of contraction, amount of contraction, and approach velocity on the velocity and turbulence fields, is studied. Bed shear stress is estimated from the measured velocity field. It is observed that the viscous stresses are amplified inside the contraction. Downstream of the contraction, increased turbulent stresses are observed close to the bed. The local bed shear stress exhibits a dual peak, one inside the contraction and the other downstream of the contraction, suggesting the possibility of two different locations for scour inception. The stochastic nature of the bed shear stress is studied and its implications on scouring are discussed.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
We would like to extend thanks to Professor Kamal Poddar, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kanpur, and the lab staff of the Low-Speed Aerodynamics Lab for providing the core components of the PIV setup and helping in PIV measurements. The support provided by the Science and Engineering Research Board (File No. YSS/2015/000574-SERB) to the second author is also duly acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 7 • July 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 28, 2022
Accepted: Feb 21, 2023
Published online: Apr 21, 2023
Published in print: Jul 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Sep 21, 2023
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