A Study on Local Scour of Large-Diameter Monopile under Combined Waves and Current

Abstract

The complex-load environment of offshore monopile foundations makes the combination of waves and current, and the variation in water depth, important factors for local scour. A flume test model of flow–pile–soil coupling for large-diameter monopile foundations is established, which comprehensively considers the combined reciprocating action of wave/current and the influence of tide depth. The precision of the experiment is ensured by the extension method of series models. The results show that the local scour caused by tides and the wave–current combination is obviously different from the unidirectional wave–current combination. The equilibrium scour depth obtained by the test is found to have some deviation from the predicted scour-depth equation. The maximum scour depth decreased with the increase in water depth within the range of 3 to 6 times the pile diameter. The bed shear-stress equation was generally consistent with the scouring-depth rule measured by the model, which can be considered to evaluate the rationality of the test results.