3-D NUMERICAL MODEL FOR WAVE-INDUCED DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF SAND BEDS AT BRIDGE PIERS

Bridges over water are mainly collapsed due to foundation scour and instability. The major damage to bridges specially occurs during floods or storm waves. When variation of wave pressure is subjected to fine-grained bed materials, the excess pore water pressure develops and changes with time. Depending on circumstances, the increase of the excess pore water pressure may reduce the effective stress to zero at a certain depth of foundation at bridge piers. Hence, the failure of bridges may not only occur due to scour but also due to instability of foundations under the persistent action of flood waves. A three-dimensional numerical model is therefore presented in this paper to calculate the characteristics of the pore water pressure and the effective stress variation at bridge piers under water pressure variation. The results obtained by numerical analysis are compared with laboratory data observed at a circular bridge pier. Comparisons of the computed results with experimental data reveal that the model predicts well the distribution of the pore water pressure and the distribution of the effective stress at the bridge pier.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • The proceedings are available on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  Texas Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System, 1600 E Lamar Boulevard
  Arlington, TX  United States  76011
• Authors:
  • Mia, F
  • Nago, H
  • Maeno, S
• Conference:
  • First International Conference on Scour of Foundations
  • Location: College Station, Texas
  • Date: 2002-11-17 to 2002-11-20
• Publication Date: 2002

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 218-226

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge foundations; Bridge piers; Collapse; Effective stress; Floods; Mathematical models; Pore water pressures; Sand; Scour; Storms; Waves
• Uncontrolled Terms: Experimental data
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00977014
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 3 2004 12:00AM