Journal of Water and Wastewater Science and Engineering

Journal of Water and Wastewater Science and Engineering

Numerical Study of the Flow Skew Angle Impact on the Flow Pattern of Complex Bridge Piers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Massumeh Rostamabadi 1
Hamidreza Sama 2
Seyed Hossein Mohajeri 3
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Buin Zahra Branch, Islamic Azad University, Buin Zahra, Iran
2 Ph.D. Graduate, Department of Water Engineering, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22112/jwwse.2025.493782.1422
Abstract
Most studies on complex bridge piers have focused on scour around the piers, with less attention paid to the turbulent flow pattern resulting from changes in the flow impact angle. In the present study, a numerical simulation of the flow pattern around composite bridge piers was conducted for angles of 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 degrees relative to the flow direction. The simulations were performed using Flow-3D software. After verifying the numerical model, the flow pattern and shear stress around the piers were examined. Velocity vector analysis showed that four regions can be distinguished around the column for all angles. First, the stagnation region, where the flow hits the column. Second and Third, regions on both sides of the column, where vortex flow is formed around the vertical axis; and Fourth, the saddle region, which is formed at the boundary between region two and the downstream flow. The change in the flow impact angle affected the extent and position of these areas; at an angle of 90 degrees, areas 2 and 3 are entirely similar, and at an angle of 10 degrees, area 4 is not formed. The investigation of shear stress showed that, in general, the shear stress around the piers increased with increasing angle. Specifically, compared to the zero-degree angle, the bed shear stress increased by 65, 135, 170, 173, and 202 percent for angles of 10 to 90 degrees, respectively. The shear stress around the first-row piers is always higher than that around the second-row piers; for an angle of 90 degrees, the average shear stress around the second-row piers is 45 percent of that around the first-row piers. However, this ratio is higher for other angles, reaching up to about 58 percent.
Keywords
Complex Bridge Piers
Shear Stress
Piers Skewed Angle
Flow3D
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Journal of Water and Wastewater Science and Engineering
Volume 10, Issue 2
Summer 2025
Pages 29-42

  • Receive Date 16 December 2024
  • Revise Date 03 March 2025
  • Accept Date 12 March 2025