Influence of scour development on turbulent flow field in front of a bridge pier

Abstract

This study concerns the turbulent flow field influenced by the scour development around a bridge pier. The scour hole evolution as well as the temporal variation of scour depth around the pier were firstly analyzed. Subsequently, the flow fields in front of the pier at different instants during the scour process were measured using particle image velocimetry (PIV). It shows that the scour depth at the pier front exceeds that of the pier side at the later scouring stage. The temporal development of scour depth can be well predicted by a simple practical engineering model based on an exponential function with a change in the two adjustable coefficients. The flow field indicates that with the development of scour hole, the downward flow in front of the pier becomes more prominent, meanwhile the flow becomes more turbulent. The variation tendency for both velocities and turbulence intensities along the streamwise direction in front the pier shows similarity. The Reynolds shear stress generally increases with developing scour hole, and the region with large value enlarges and moves upstream of the scour hole.