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Vortex Flow Field in A Scourhole Around Abutments PDF
Vortex Flow Field in A Scourhole Around Abutments PDF
ABSTRACT
The three-dimensional flow field in a scour hole around different abutments under a clear water
regime was experimentally measured in a laboratory flume, using the Acoustic Doppler
Velocimeter (ADV). Three types of abutments used in the experiments were vertical-wall
(rectangular section), 45o wing-wall (45o polygonal section) and semicircular. The
three-dimensional time-averaged velocity components were detected at different vertical planes
for vertical-wall abutment and azimuthal planes for wing-wall and semicircular abutments. The
velocity components were also measured at different horizontal planes. In the upstream,
presentations of flow field through vector plots at vertical / azimuthal and horizontal planes show
the existence of a primary vortex associated with the downflow inside the scour hole. On the
other hand, in the downstream, the flow field shows a reversed flow near the abutments having a
subsequent recovery with a passage of flow as a part of the main flow. The data presented in this
paper would be useful to the researchers for the development and verification of mathematical
models of flow field in a scour hole at bridge abutments.
Key Words: Abutments, Three-dimensional flow, Vortex flow, Open channel flow, Scour,
Sediment transport, Fluvial hydraulics
1 INTRODUCTION
At the bridge site of a river, localized scour around piers and abutments is a common occurrence and
poses a challenging problem to the hydraulic engineers due to its detrimental effect to the foundations of
piers and abutments. Abutments, located at either end of the bridge, help to transmit the weight of the
bridge including traffic to the foundation bed. On the other hand, piers are located within the bridge span.
Based on the supply of sediment by the approaching flow, the localized scour can be classified in two
ways: clear water scour and live bed scour (Dey, 1997). Clear water scour is the situation where no
sediment is supplied by the approaching flow to the scour zone. Live bed scour, on the other hand, occurs
where there is a supply of sediment by the approaching flow to the scour zone.
The flow field around abutments embedded vertically in a sediment-bed is complex in detail, involving
separation of flow to develop three-dimensional vortex flow; and the complexity increases with the
development of the scour hole. The flow field around piers has been well researched by Hjorth (1975),
Melville (1975), Melville and Raudkivi (1977), Dey (1995), Dey et al. (1995) and Graf and Istiaro (2002).
But, research on the flow field around abutments has been very limited. Using hydrogen bubble technique,
Kwan (1989) and Kwan and Melville (1994) detected the three-dimensional flow field in a scour hole
around a wing-wall abutment. They concluded that a primary vortex, being similar to the horseshoe
vortex around piers, along with the downflow is the primary cause of scouring at abutments. Rajaratnam
and Nwachukwu (1983), and Ahmed and Rajaratnam (2000) also investigated the flow fields at groyne
and abutment, respectively, placed on a planar or unscoured bed. But, no attempt has so far been made to
study the three-dimensional flow field around a vertical-wall and semicircular abutments.
The present study aims at to investigate the three-dimensional flow field in a scour hole around
vertical-wall (rectangular section), 45o wing-wall (45o polygonal section) and semicircular abutments
under a clear water regime, using the Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV). The time-averaged velocity
1
Lecturer, Department of Applied Mechanics, National Institute of Technology, Silchar 788010, Assam, India.
2
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302, West
Bengal, India. Email: sdey@civil.iitkgp.ernet.in; Fax: +91 3222 282254 (Corresponding author)
Note: The original manuscript of this paper was received in June 2003. The revised version was received in Sept.
2003. Discussion open until Dec. 2004.
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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components were measured at different locations on vertical planes for vertical-wall abutment and
azimuthal planes for wing-wall and semicircular abutments. The velocity components were also measured
at different horizontal planes. The flow fields are represented using the measured velocity data through
the vector plots at different azimuthal / vertical and horizontal planes.
2 EXPERIMENTATION
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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Fig. 1 Photographs of the scour holes around different abutments (contour lines positive
for scour and negative for deposition, in mm)
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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The instantaneous three-dimensional velocity components were detected by a SonTek made 5 cm
downlooking acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV). The ADV functioned on a pulse-to-pulse coherent
Doppler shift to provide instantaneous 3D velocity components at a rate of 50 Hz. The acoustic sensor
consisted of one transmitting and three receiving transducers. The receiving transducers were mounted on
short arms around the transmitting transducer at 120o azimuth intervals. The transmitting transducer sent
out acoustic beams with a frequency of 10 MHz. The beams traveling through the water arrived at the
measuring point (5 cm below the transducer), where they were reflected by the ambient particles within
the flow being received by the receiving transducers. The processing module executed the digital signal
processing required to measure the Doppler shifts. The data acquisition software provided a real-time
display of the data in graphical and tabular forms. There was no requirement of seeding of the flow
during experiments, as the signal-noise ratio (SNR) was in the range of 12 to 16. Because of the
interference due to echoes from the flume bed, the receiving signal might be disturbed, which may result
in inaccurate velocity measurement. In this study, a few points near the bed were found to be influenced
in this way. The velocity measurement by the ADV probe was not possible in the zone, which was 5 cm
below the free surface. The probe was capable to measure velocity in the range of ±0.03 m/s to ±2.5 m/s.
The ADV readings were taken along several vertical lines at different vertical and azimuthal planes,
shown in Fig. 2. Also, the ADV readings were taken at different locations at horizontal sections of
z = -0.5ds, 0 and 0.5h in order to plot flow vectors at different horizontal sections. It is important to
mention that the time-averaged velocity components were take for a period of 3 min in order to ensure
that the velocity components were independent of time. Comprehensive description of experimental
procedure and data are available in Barbhuiya (2003).
3 FLOW FIELD
E D C
Flow
B
F
(a) Abutment A 12 cm
6 cm 4 cm
Flume wall
24 cm
θ = 90o
θ = 116.6 o θ = 63.4o
Flow
θ = 160o θ = 30o
(b) 12 cm
Abutment
45o θ = 10o
Flume wall
36 cm
θ = 90o
θ = 120o
θ = 45o
Flow
θ = 30o
(c) θ = 170o
Abutment 13 cm
θ = 10 o
Flume wall
26 cm
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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Fig. 2 Sections of flow measurements: (a) vertical-wall abutment,
(b) 45o wing-wall abutment and (c) semicircular abutment
b
l
x (a)
y
b
l
(b)
θ r
b
l
(c)
θ r
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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Fig. 3 Coordinate systems and schematic diagrams of scour holes around (a) vertical-wall abutment,
(b) 45o wing-wall abutment and (c) semicircular abutment
1.8
0.9
0.0
^
z
-0.9
U 0 (a) (b)
-1.8
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
^ ^
x x
1.8
0.9
0.0
z
^
-0.9
(c) (d)
-1.8
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
^ ^
y y
1.8
0.9
0.0
^
z
-0.9
(e) (f)
-1.8
1 2 3 4 5 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1
^ ^
y x
Fig. 4 Normalized velocity vectors at vertical sections of a vertical-wall abutment:
(a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E and (f) F
Figs. 5 and 6 display the normalized time-averaged velocity vectors at different azimuthal planes,
having magnitude vˆ 2 + wˆ 2 and direction arc tan( wˆ / vˆ ), for 45o wing-wall and semicircular abutments,
respectively. The nature of the flow field around wing-wall and semicircular abutments are almost similar,
where the characteristics of the vortex flow inside the scour hole together with the downflow along the
upstream face of the abutments are depicted. The circulation is strong at the upstream of the abutment
and decreases with increase in θ. Above the scour hole, the flow is horizontal for r > 3l in case of
wing-wall abutment and for r > 3.5l in case of semicircular abutment; and then the flow gradually curves
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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down towards the abutment. At 90o, the vortex motion is very feeble. In the downstream, the flow is
directed outwards with further increase in θ beyond 90o. At 160o (for 45o wing-wall abutment) and 170o
(semicircular abutment), it shows an upward flow near the abutment causing suction; and further
downstream, the flow is becoming a part of the main flow.
1.8
0.9
0.0
^
z
-0.9
U 0
(a) (b)
-1.8
1.8
0.9
z
^
0.0
-0.9
(c) (d)
-1.8
1.8
0.9
0.0
z
^
-0.9
(e) (f)
-1.8
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
^r ^
r
Fig. 5 Normalized velocity vectors at azimuthal sections of a 45o wing-wall abutment:
(a) θ = 10o, (b) θ = 30o, (c) θ = 63.4o, (d) θ = 90o, (e) θ = 116.6o and (f) θ = 160o
1.6
0.8
0.0
^
z
-0.8
U 0
(a) (b)
-1.6
1.6
0.8
z
^
0.0
-0.8
(c) (d)
-1.6
1.6
0.8
0.0
z
^
-0.8
(e) (f)
-1.6
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
^r ^
r
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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in Figs. 8 and 9, respectively. The characteristics of flow field for 45o wing-wall and semicircular
abutments are similar to that for vertical-wall abutment.
5
(a)
4 z = -0.5ds
3
^
y
1
U 0
0
5
(b) z=0
4
3
^
y
0
5
(c) z = 0.5h
4
3
^
y
0
-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5
^
x
4
(a)
Transverse length / l
3
z = -0.5ds
2
U 0
0
4
(b)
Transverse length / l
3
z=0
0
4
(c)
z = 0.5h
Transverse length / l
4
(a)
Transverse length / l
3
z = -0.5ds
2
U 0
0
4
(b)
Transverse length / l
3
z=0
0
4
(c)
z = 0.5h
Transverse length / l
0
-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
Longitudinal length / l
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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4 CONCLUSIONS
In a laboratory flume, experimental detections were made by the Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV)
to determine the three-dimensional flow field in a scour hole around vertical-wall, 45o wing-wall and
semicircular abutments under a clear water regime. In the upstream, the time-averaged flow velocity
vectors at vertical / azimuthal and horizontal planes show the existence of a primary vortex associated
with the downflow inside the scour hole. On the other hand, in the downstream, the flow field is
essentially reversed due to the flow separation. The data presented in this paper would be useful to the
researchers for the development of mathematical models of flow field in a scour hole around bridge
abutments.
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
- 322 -
1.6
0.8
1
1
0
z
^
-0.8
(a) (b)
-1.6
1.6
1.1
0.8
1 1.1
0
z
^
0.2
-0.8
(c) (d)
-1.6
1.6
0 .2
0.8 1.1
1.2
1.2
0
z
^
0.2
-0.8
(e) (f)
-1.6
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
^ ^
x x
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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1.8
0.9
1
0 .9
1
0
z
^
1
0.9
0.8
0.6 0.8
.2
0.4 0.6 0.4 0
-0.9 0.2
(a) (b)
-1.8
1.8
0.9
1.3
2
1.
1.3
1.1
1.5
1.1
1.4
1
0
z
^
0.8 .6 0.8
0
0 .4 0 .2 0.6 0.4 0.2
-0.9
(c) (d)
-1.8
1.8
0.9 1.2
1. 2 1 1.1
1.3
1.1 0 .9
0.6 0.8
0 .4
0.2
0 1
z
^
.2
0.
8 0.4 0
0.6
-0.9
(e) (f)
-1.8
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
^ ^
r r
Fig. 11 Nondimensional absolute velocity Vˆ contours at azimuthal sections of a 45o wing-wall abutment:
(a) θ = 10o, (b) θ = 30o, (c) θ = 63.4o, (d) θ = 90o, (e) θ = 116.6o and (f) θ = 160o
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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1.6
0.8
1
1
0
z
^
-0.8
(a) (b)
-1.6
1.6
1.1
0.8
1 1 .1
0
z
^
0.2
-0.8
(c) (d)
-1.6
1.6
0.2
0.8 1.1
1.2
1.2
0
z
^
0 .2
-0.8
(e) (f)
-1.6
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
^ ^
x x
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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REFERENCE
Ahmed, F. and Rajaratnam, N. 2000, Observations on flow around bridge abutment. J. Hydr. Engrg., ASCE, Vol. 126,
No. 1, pp. 51-59.
Barbhuiya, A. K. 2003, Clear water scour at abutments. PhD thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology, Kharagpur, India.
Dey, S. 1995, Three-dimensional vortex flow field around a circular cylinder in a quasi-equilibrium scour hole.
Sadhana, Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., Vol. 20, No. December, pp. 771-785.
Dey, S. 1997, Local scour at piers, part 1: a review of development of research. Int. J. Sediment Res., Vol. 12, No. 2,
pp. 23-44.
Dey, S., Bose, S. K. and Sastry, G. L. N. 1995, Clear water scour at circular piers: a model. J. Hydr. Engrg., ASCE,
Vol. 121, No. 12, pp. 869-876.
Graf, W. H. and Istiarto, I. 2002, Flow pattern in the scour hole around cylinder. J. Hydr. Res., Vol. 40, No. 1, pp.
13-20.
Hjorth, P. 1975, Studies on the nature of local scour. Bulletin Series A No. 46, Department of Water Resources
Engineering, University of Lund, Sweden.
Kwan, T. F. 1989, A study of abutment scour. Report No. 451, School of Engineering, University of Auckland,
Auckland, New Zealand.
Kwan, T. F. and Melville, B. W. 1994, Local scour and flow measurements at bridge abutments. J. Hydr. Res., Vol.
32, No. 5, pp. 661-673.
Maskell, E. G. 1955, Flow separation in three-dimensions. Report No. Aero 2565, Royal Aircraft Establishment,
Faranborough.
Melville, B. W. 1975, Scour at bridge sites. Report No. 117, School of Engineering, University of Auckland,
Auckland, New Zealand.
Melville, B. W. and Raudkivi, R. J. 1977, Flow characteristics in local scour at bridge piers. J. Hydr. Res., Vol. 15,
No. 4, pp. 373-380.
Rajaratnam, N. and Nwachukwu, B. A. 1983, Flow near groyne-like structures. J. Hydr. Engrg., ASCE, Vol. 109, No.
3, pp. 463-480.
Rozovksii, I. L. 1961, Flow of water in bends of open channels. Israel Program for Scientific Transactions, Jerusalem,
Israel.
NOTATIONS
The following symbols are used in this paper:
b streamwise length of abutment;
ds depth of scour;
h approaching flow depth;
l transverse length of abutment;
r̂ r/l;
U average approaching flow velocity;
û u/U;
u* shear velocity of approaching flow;
u*c critical shear velocity of bed sediment;
u, v, w time-averaged velocity components in Cartesian or cylindrical polar coordinates;
V time-averaged absolute velocity;
Vˆ uˆ 2 + vˆ 2 + wˆ 2 ;
v̂ v/U;
ŵ w/U;
x̂ x/l;
x, y, z Cartesian coordinates;
ŷ y/l;
ẑ z/l;
θ, r, z cylindrical polar coordinates; and
σg geometric standard deviation.
International Journal of Sediment Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2003, pp. 310-325
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