Multiphysics Coupling Model for Computing Pier Scour upon Simulation and Experiment

Abstract

This paper established a laboratory-scale model with multiphysics coupling computation to estimate the scour depth of the pier. The model employed governing equations based on structural dynamics (SD) and fluid–structure interaction (FSI) for simulation. The SD equations analyzed a concrete column topped with an iron beam to evaluate the frequency of the pier, whereas the FSI model computed the scour depth for a tip-massed cantilever cylinder interacting with soil cover and water flow. The simulation results were referenced by an experiment that applied a self-developed servovelocity sensor within the wireless sensor network in a real-time vibration frequency measurement system to measure the instant frequency of the pier. The model can enable pier scour evaluation by interpreting frequency measurement while reporting on flow conditions. This approach contributed to the simulation procedures to estimate the potential scour depth of the pier by evaluating vibration frequencies of the structure and equilibrium pressures near the pier. The referenced formulations were derived from the classical equations of the analytical computation and experimental measurement for comparison.