Current-induced scour around a vertical pile in cohesive soil

Stability of many ocean structures is affected by seabed scour induced by under-currents. The depth of scour is an important parameter for determining the minimum depth of foundations as it reduces the lateral capacity of the foundations. A review of the literature reveals that there is not much information available in the field of scour in cohesive soils. Hence, a detailed laboratory testing programme on model piles of diameters 50 mm to 110 mm embedded in soft silty clay soil was carried out in a wave flume of 30 m long, 2.0 m wide and 1.7 m deep, which has the capability of simulating steady currents. Scour around the pile due to steady streaming is monitored by using special instrumentation. A procedure has been suggested to predict the ultimate scour depths based on the observed variation in scour depth over a limited time period. The study indicates that the ultimate scour depth is controlled by diameter of obstruction, current velocity, model Reynolds number, flow Froude number, shear stress, and soil characteristics. Based on these results, a few functional relationships are suggested between scour depth and other parameters like Reynolds number, Froude number, and strength of the soil bed.     

基于声呐图像的海上风电桩基局部冲刷实时监测研究

在江苏大丰某海上风电场选取代表机位,安装桩基局部冲刷实时监测系统对桩基周围海床进行实时监测,并和多波束水下地形测量成果进行对比分析。结果表明：该系统实时监测效果较好,与多波束的测量结果相吻合,其最大优势在于能长期实时连续监测桩基周围海床的高程变化情况,掌握长期冲淤趋势。监测桩基海床已产生最大冲刷深度达8 m 的冲刷坑,为保障风机系统的安全稳定,建议及时采取冲刷防护措施,以防冲刷坑进一步发育。     

Effect of Scour on the Behavior of Laterally Loaded Single Piles in Marine Clay

Most offshore and coastal structures are supported by pile foundations, which are subjected to large lateral loads due to wind, wave, and water currents. Water currents can induce scouring around piles that reduces lateral capacity and increases lateral deflection of a pile. Current design methods mostly consider the complete removal of soil layers around piles by scouring. In reality, however, scouring creates scour holes at different shapes, sizes, and depths. Their effects on the behavior of laterally loaded piles are not well investigated. A numerical model of a single pile in soft marine clay was first calibrated against field test data without scour. Then several key factors of scour were analyzed, such as the depth, width, and slope of the scour hole and the diameter and head fixity of the pile. The relationships of the ultimate lateral capacity of the single pile with the depth, width, and slope angle of the scour hole were obtained. The numerical results show that the scour depth had more significant influence on the pile lateral capacity than the scour width. In addition, the pile with a free head was more sensitive to scour than the pile with a fixed head.     

Model tree approach for prediction of pile groups scour due to waves

Scour around piles could endanger the stability of the structures placed on them. Hence, an accurate estimation of the scour depth around piles is very important in coastal and marine engineering. Due to the complex interaction between the wave, seabed and pile group; prediction of the scour depth is not an easy task and the available empirical formulas have limited accuracy. Recently, soft computing methods such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) have been used for the prediction of the scour depth. However, these methods do not give enough insight about the process and are not as easy to use as the empirical equations. In this study, new formulas are given that are easy to use, accurate and physically sound. Available empirical equations for estimating the pile group scour depth such as those of Sumer et al. (1992) and Bayram and Larson (2000), are less accurate compared to the given equations. These equations are as accurate as other soft computing methods such as ANN and SVM. Moreover, in this study, safety factors are given for different levels of acceptable risks, which can be so useful for engineers.     

Measurement of scour in cohesive soils around a vertical pile - simplified instrumentation and regression analysis

The flow-structure interaction in an ocean environment, for a pile placed in an erodible bed where currents and waves are of prime concern, changes the bed elevation due to scour in the vicinity of the obstruction. There are certain difficulties in predicting the scour depth, as the particulate movement of sediments due to scour is time-dependent. Considering the complexity of the problem, an instrumentation system has been developed for measuring scour depth with time. This paper outlines the experimental laboratory techniques used to measure scour around pile foundations in silty-clay sediments. Detailed laboratory testing on model piles having a diameter of 50-110 mm was carried out in a wave flume having a length of 30 m and a width of 2.0 m. The motivation of these studies is to obtain observational experience of scour rate in silty-clay soil. Scour depths were monitored continuously for different combinations of wave characteristics and current velocities, and scour-time history is measured. Based on the measurements, a relationship for the scour depth in terms of duration of flow, soil properties, model characteristics, and fluid parameters is presented.     

水流作用下斜桩局部冲刷及流场变化试验研究

为研究水流作用下斜桩周围局部冲刷特性及流场变化并掌握斜桩同垂直桩的差异,本研究在不同流速条件下开展了包含反斜桩、垂直桩、正斜桩等多种工况的水槽试验,测量分析了斜桩的冲刷历时曲线、床面形态、沿程流速分布、最大冲刷深度等数据.结果表明:清水条件下斜桩周围局部冲刷坑及桩后沙丘尺度明显减小;斜桩桩前最大冲刷深度随倾角的增加而逐...     

辽河三角洲潮道软土及其工程灾害研究

辽河三角洲潮道沉积物为软弱淤泥质土，管桩在波流荷载作用下的弹性变形或振动，可以导致潮道软土强度衰减并发生变形位移，随着悬臂段加长和波流荷载振动作用，下部扮土会自上而下发生液化。简单管桩的抗倾验算可以按照波流力与被动土压力的作用力矩分析，并考虑到海底的冲刷淘空深度。管桩打入下卧高强度粉土时，在保证打入深度的同时，应适当增大管桩的强度，加大管桩自振周期与波浪周期的差值。     

插拔桩对黄河水下三角洲浅层土的扰动及恢复研究

黄河水下三角洲埕岛海区浅部地层自上而下主要有三种结构类型:厚层粉土-软弱粉质粘土型、薄层粉土-软弱粉质粘土层型和厚层软弱粉质粘土层-粉土或粉质粘土层型。具桩靴平台在研究区内进行插拔桩,扰动或破坏表层土,拔桩后形成桩坑。桩坑的恢复夷平和坑内回淤土层性质直接影响后期海洋工程进行。本研究利用浅地层剖面仪、声纳、野外钻探及室内实验等方法对桩坑内外土体的性质进行了探测。探测结果表明,三种类型底土在插拔桩后,回淤地层结构及其物理力学性质与原地层比较,有较大差异。     

Experimental observations and evaluations of formulae for local scour at pile groups in steady currents

Bridge scour is recognized as one of the key factors that causes structure failures, which in turn leads to economic and life loss. In this study, flume tests of four typical arrangements of pier groups embedded in sand under steady clear water conditions were carried out to observe the process and maximum depth around piles of scour. The investigation included single pile, tandem piles, side-by-side piles, and 3 × 3 pile groups. Different conditions including different pile spacing, flow velocity, and water depth are considered. Moreover, the evaluation of design methods from the United States, New Zealand, and China was analyzed and compared through experimental and mathematical methods. The experimental results show that shielding and jetting effects are obvious in pile groups, which become less obvious with the increase of pile spacing. The dynamic process of scour around single pile and pile groups are quite different. Meanwhile, most of the predicted scour depths by these equations tend to be much larger than those from field data, which may lead to overdesign and consequently high construction cost. In addition, data from this study and some laboratory experiment data from previous work were used to derive the correction factors of a new scour prediction equation, which can be used to estimate the scour in a sand bed and agree well with the observations.     

中性网格对圆桩局部冲刷的水动力弱化及防护效果分析

针对水下桩墩的局部冲刷问题,提出一种适用范围广、防冲促淤效果显著的防护措施。该防护措施把一种相对密度略大于水、几何特征特殊的中性网格结构完全覆盖在冲刷坑或可能出现冲刷坑的床面上,以减弱冲刷坑内水动力,促进泥沙落淤,达到减轻局部冲刷的目的。通过数值模拟和水槽试验探讨了中性网格结构对圆桩周围冲刷坑内水动力及床面形态的影响,并研究了网孔尺寸对防冲促淤效果的影响规律。结果表明：该中性网格结构能显著减小局部冲刷坑内的流速,有效抑制局部冲刷,且对桩前来流来沙的影响微弱。孔径比7.7的网格防护结构可以使无黏性沙床上圆桩的局部冲刷深度减少92%,已存在的冲刷坑则可被修复73%。这些研究成果为桩墩局部冲刷防护提供一种新的思路。     

粉沙海床管道在联锁排防护下的冲刷试验研究

采用当地海床的天然粉沙进行试验床面的设计,对海底管道在实际海床受到的极限波浪和最大水流作用进行试验,在管道上方铺设混凝土联锁排,对联锁排块体稳定性和其对管道防护的有效性进行研究。通过物理模型试验,研究了在极限波浪和最大水流作用下,管道在粉沙床面最大冲刷深度。通过不同水深中波流条件下研究了混凝土联锁排防护效果及其周围床面的冲刷变化,观测了联锁排的稳定性。试验结果表明:按半经验半理论简化公式得出的联锁排厚度能满足稳定性的要求,比水利部规范计算的联锁排厚度偏大的公式更加适合应用,试验期间混凝土联锁排的排面稳定,能有效保护管道,在该防护下管道没有冲刷,只在联锁排上下游与床面接触的来流段和尾端有冲刷,但该冲刷深度不影响联锁排整体的稳定性。     

Prediction of local scour around circular piles under waves using a novel artificial intelligence approach

Abstract

The scour phenomena around vertical piles in oceans and under waves may influence the structure stability. Therefore, accurately predicting the scour depth is an important task in the design of piles. Empirical approaches often do not provide the required accuracy compared with data mining methods for modeling such complex processes. The main objective of this study is to develop three data-driven methods, locally weighted linear regression (LWLR), support vector machine (SVR), and multivariate linear regression (MLR) to predict the scour depth around vertical piles due to waves in a sand bed. It is the first effort to develop the LWLR to predict scour depth around vertical piles. The models simulate the scour depth mainly based on Shields parameter, pile Reynolds number, grain Reynolds number, Keulegan–Carpenter number, and sediment number. 111 laboratory datasets, derived from several experimental studies, were used for the modeling. The results indicated that the LWLR provided highly accurate predictions of the scour depths around piles (R?=?0.939 and RMSE = 0.075). Overall, this study demonstrated that the LWLR can be used as a valuable tool to predict the wave-induced scour around piles.     

Numerical investigation of local scour below a vibrating pipeline under steady currents

Local scour below a vibrating pipeline under steady current is investigated by a finite element numerical model. The flow, sediment transport and pipeline response are coupled in the numerical model. The numerical results of scour depths and pipeline vibration amplitudes are compared with measured data available in literature. Good agreement is obtained. It is found that pipeline vibrations cause increases of scour depth below the pipeline. The scour pit underneath a two-degree-of-freedom vibrating pipeline is deeper than that under a pipeline vibrating only in the transverse flow direction. The effects of water depth are also investigated. The present numerical result shows that water depth has weak effect on the scour depth. However it does affect the time scale of the scour. The shallower the water depth is, the less time it requires to reaches the equilibrium state of scour. It is found that the vibration forces vortices to be shed from the bottom side of the pipeline. Then vortex shedding around a vibrating pipeline is closer to the seabed than vortex shedding around a fixed pipeline. This contributes to the increase of the scour depth.     

A wave-flume study of scour at a pile breakwater: Solitary waves

Understanding the sediment transport and the resulting scour around coastal structures such as pile breakwaters under local extreme wave conditions is important for the foundation safety of various coastal structures. This study reports a wave-flume experiment investigating the scour induced by solitary waves at a pile breakwater, which consists of a row of closely spaced large piles. A wave blacking gate with a simple operation procedure in the experiment was designed to eliminate possible multiple reflections of the solitary wave inside the flume. An underwater laser scanner and a point probe were used in combination to provide high-resolution data of the bed profile around the pile breakwater. Effects of incident wave height and local water depth on the maximum scour depth, the maximum deposition height and the total scour and deposition volumes were examined. An existing empirical formula describing the evolution of the scour at a single pile in current or waves was extended to describe the scour at the pile breakwater under the action of multiple solitary waves, and new empirical coefficients were obtained by fitting the formula to the new experimental data to estimate the equilibrium scour depth. It appears that the maximum scour depth and the total scour volume are two reliable quantities for validation of numerical models developed for the scour around pile breakwaters under highly nonlinear wave conditions.     

Lateral loading of a pile using strain wedge model and its application under scouring

The scour hole around a pile will reduce the capacity of a laterally loaded pile. The strain wedge model is capable to derive a p–y curve for the analysis of a lateral loaded pile on a nonlinear Winkler foundation. To improve and extend the ability of the strain wedge method, a modified strain wedge (MSW) method is developed, in which a nonlinear lateral deflection of the pile is assumed to describe the varied soil strain distribution in the passive wedge. And then by treating the soil weight involved in the strain wedge as a vertical load at the bottom of the scour hole, an equivalent wedge depth is obtained to consider the effect of scour hole dimensions on the response of laterally loaded piles in sand. The validity of the MSW model is proved by comparisons with a centrifuge test without scour. And its applicability in the problem of a pile with scour is performed by a comparison with a model test and a FE analysis. The analysis shows the pile displacement at the pile head with scour can be obtained by multiplying the corresponding deflection without scour with an amplification factor related to scour depth at large load level.     

Scour below pipelines and around vertical piles in random waves

An approach by which the scour depth and scour width below a fixed pipeline and scour depth around a circular vertical pile in random waves can be derived is presented. Here, the scour depth formulas by Sumer and Fredsøe [ASCE J. Waterw., Port, Coastal Ocean Eng. 116 (1990) 307] for pipelines and Sumer et al. [ASCE J. Waterw., Port, Coastal Ocean Eng. 114 (1992) 599] for vertical piles as well as the scour width formula by Sumer and Fredsøe [The Mechanics of Scour in the Marine Environment, World Scientific, Singapore, 2002] for pipelines combined with describing the waves as a stationary Gaussian narrow-band random process are used to derive the cumulative distribution functions of the scour depths and width. Comparisons are made between the present approach and random wave scour data. Tentative approaches to related random wave scour cases are also suggested.     

Wave pressures and uplift forces on and scour around submarine pipeline in clayey soil

Experimental investigations are carried out on wave-induced pressures and uplift forces on a submarine pipeline (exposed, half buried and fully buried) in clayey soil of different consistency index both in regular and random waves. A study on scour under the pipeline resting on the clay bed is also carried out. It is found that the uplift force can be reduced by about 70%, if the pipeline is just buried in clay soil. The equilibrium scour depth below the pipeline is estimated as 42% of the pipe diameter for consistency index of 0.17 and is 34% of the pipe diameter for consistency index of 0.23. The results of the present investigations are compared with the results on sandy soil by Cheng and Liu (Appl. Ocean Res., 8(1986) 22) to acknowledge the benefit of cohesive soil in reducing the high pore pressure on buried pipeline compared to cohesionless soil.     

基于Flow-3D的抗拖网海床基冲刷数值模拟

基于Flow-3D软件,建立抗拖网海床基沙土基床冲刷的三维数学模型,控制水流流速和泥沙粒径,对不同条件下抗拖网海床基周围沙土基床的冲刷进行数值模拟,并分析了抗拖网海床基最大冲刷深度随这两种因素改变的趋势。结果表明,抗拖网海床基沙土基床冲刷坑深度随海流流速增大而增加,在设定其他条件不改变的情况下,冲刷坑的加深速度随着流速增大会逐渐减缓,最终达到冲淤平衡。同时,由于海底环境复杂多变,导致模型与实际情况有一定的差异,还需在后续的研究中进一步进行优化。     

海洋平台桩基周围冲刷过程及冲刷机理分析

对埕岛油田典型平台周边多年的水深地形资料进行分析对比,研究平台桩基周围冲刷过程,探讨桩柱周围形成冲刷坑的冲刷深度、几何形态和分布特征,分析其冲刷机理。结果表明,平台建成初期桩基冲刷剧烈,周围海底形成以平台为中心的盆状地形,经历近1年的时间逐步达到冲淤平衡。冲刷坑形态特征主要由水动力条件控制。     

Clear water scour around a finite array of cylinders

This experimental study presents clear-water scour and deposition patterns around hexagonal arrays of circular cylinders in steady flow conditions. Understanding the scour processes around such configurations could facilitate the design of several hydraulic and marine engineering structures, such as bridge piers and piles. The flow alteration caused by the examined porous obstacles depends on the solid volume fraction of the obstacles and on the angle of attack of the incoming flow, due to the limited number of cylinders constituting the array. Flume experiments with erodible bed were carried out for four array densities (solid volume fractions: 0.14, 0.20, 0.32 and 0.56) under three different orientations (regular, angled and staggered configurations). The scour/deposition characteristics were obtained by means of laser scanner and the results were compared to solid cylinders of equal circumambient diameter. Different angles of attack of the incoming flow lead to different blockage ratios, which have direct impact on the scour characteristics and deposition patterns. The arrays with the higher solid volume fraction generated scour/deposition patterns similar to solid cylinder, while in the arrays with the lower solid volume fractions, local scour around the individual small cylinders became evident. Finally, considering that the load bearing capacity of a pier basically depends on the area of its cross-section, a comparison of the maximum induced scour depth and volume by the cylinder arrays and the solid cylinder with equal solid cross-sectional area is presented, in order to introduce an alternative pier configuration that induces less scour. The results showed that the array of cylinders could generate 27% less scour volume and 22% less scour depth compared to its single solid cylinder counterpart.