3DNumerical Simulation of Hydrodynamic Parameters around the Bridge Piers Using Various Turbulence Models

Abstract

In present study, the near-wake flow around the bridge piers of a circular section has been numerically analyzed. Numerical simulation was carried out using Fluent, and the numerical results were verified by the different researchers' experimental and numerical data. In order to consider the accuracy of numerical results, the flow pattern around the pier, the Strouhal number and the drag coefficient, obtained with Fluent, have been compared with available numerical and experimental data. Also, three turbulent models, k-ε , RSM, and LES, were used to apply the flow turbulence effects and the hydrodynamic parameters, the near-wake flow, the flow separation angle, shedding of the vortices at downstream of the cylindrical piers, and the distribution of the bed shear stress around the pier, have been investigated for three turbulent models. The numerical results show that RSM turbulent model is an accurate model for simulating and modeling the turbulence effects of these kinds of the flows.

Keywords

• bridge piers
• numerical simulation
• turbulence model
• vortices shedding
• shear stress