Development of a Computational Approach to Detect Instability and Incipient Motion of Large Riprap Rocks

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has progressed to the point where flow problems can be solved in domains containing solid objects with complex, irregular geometry in relative motion along arbitrary paths through the fluid domain. The solvers incorporate moving mesh and mesh morphing techniques. With this new CFD capability the detailed stress distribution created by flow over the surface of a moving solid and the capability of computational structural mechanics (CSM) software to solve for both small and large displacements of solids from applied loads, it is now possible to solve a wide variety of fluid structure interaction (FSI) problems by coupling the two types of software. This paper presents development of procedures to couple STAR-CCM+® CFD software to LS-DYNA® CSM software to solve FSI problems. An initial application of the coupled software to FSI analysis of incipient motion of large riprap rocks is described. Two cases were used to test the coupling. The first has a rock layer in a channel with no bridge structures, and the second has an abutment corner that contracts the flow. Three representative rocks were included in the coupling and the approximate inlet flow velocity required to lift a rock and move it downstream was determined.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFB60 Hydrology, Hydraulics and Water Quality.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Bojanowski, Cezary
  • Lottes, Steven
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Critical velocity; Flow; Fluid dynamics; Instability; Motion; Riprap; Rocks; Structural mechanics
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; I43: Rock Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01515523
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-3035
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 24 2014 8:43AM