Hydrodynamic and Debris-Damming Failure of Bridge Decks and Piers in Steady Flow
Kevin Oudenbroek,
Nader Naderi,
Jeremy D. Bricker,
Yuguang Yang,
Cor van der Veen,
Wim Uijttewaal,
Shuji Moriguchi,
Sebastiaan N. Jonkman
Affiliations
Kevin Oudenbroek
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Nader Naderi
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Jeremy D. Bricker
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Yuguang Yang
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Cor van der Veen
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Wim Uijttewaal
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Shuji Moriguchi
International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 AzaAoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture 980-8572, Japan
Sebastiaan N. Jonkman
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
In countries with steep rivers, such as Japan and the United States, bridges fail on an annual basis. Bridges on spread footings are especially susceptible to failure by hydrodynamic loading, often exacerbated by debris damming. Here, such failures are investigated via small scale model laboratory experiments and full scale numerical simulations. In the laboratory, lift and drag forces and overturning moment on bridge decks, piers, and deck-pier systems, are measured and compared with threshold of failure criteria used in design guidelines. Effects of debris on lift, drag, and moment, as well as three-dimensional effects, are quantified. Via numerical simulations, flow patterns and free surface behaviour responsible for these forces are investigated, and described in a framework as a function of the water depth, flow speed, deck clearance, and girder height. Results show that current guidelines are non-conservative in some cases. Importantly, failure of both decks and piers can be prevented by strengthening pier-deck connections, or by streamlining decks.
