An experimental comparison of 3D velocity components around single and twin piers installed in a sharp bend under the influence of upstream implemented vanes

Abstract

AbstractTo reduce the trend of scouring, understanding the flow pattern around the bridge piers is necessary. By using hydraulic structures such as submerged vanes, it is possible to alter the flow pattern of water, thus scouring process and sediment transport in riverbeds. Since the scouring mechanism for pier groups differs from single pier, experiments were conducted in a 180° sharp bend channel in the laboratory to investigate the flow pattern around pier group and single pier under the influence of 25% submerged vanes. Furthermore, a comparison was made between the flow patterns in single pier and pier group conditions. Three-dimensional velocities along the bend and different depths were measured using an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV(. The results suggest that the maximum vorticity value at the apex position of the bend (location of piers) and the maximum secondary flow value, at the distance between the piers and the vanes, were found to be, 0.15 and 0.89, respectively. In the twin pier experiment, the maximum Reynolds shear stress value $${\tau }_{yx}$$ τ yx decreased by about 36%, and the minimum value decreased by about 49% compared to the single pier experiment. The final results indicated that using submerged vanes obtained the maximum $${\tau }_{yx}$$ τ yx and $${\tau }_{zx}$$ τ zx near the vanes. Near the bed and mid-depth of the water flow, the geometric location of the maximum velocity also occurred around the vanes in both experiments. Therefore, the vanes are important in altering the water flow pattern, diverting the flow from around piers and consequently reducing the bridge pier scouring.