Title: Three-dimensional numerical modelling of the flow around a circular bridge pier: a scaling analysis

Authors: Martín Cisternas Fernández; Olivier Skurtys

Addresses: Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, F-54000, Nancy, France ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Santiago, Chile

Abstract: Three-dimensional numerical simulations of water flow around a vertical circular pier using the 'large Eddy simulation' method are presented. All simulations were performed using the solver 'interFOAM' supplied with OpenFOAM. The objective of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the influence of the free-surface on the velocity and pressure fields. The influence of three parameters, the Froude number (Fr), the Reynolds number (Re) and the geometrical parameter G (ratio between the water depth and the pier diameter), on the behaviour of free-surface is investigated. Qualitative observations and quantitative results are reported. It is shown that downstream the pier, the flow depends on Fr and G. Indeed, a dimensionless number combination of Fr and G describes all the phenomena related with the free-surface deformation (the wavelength size, the free-surface deformation). On the contrary, for estimating the drag coefficient or for describing dynamic phenomena such as the separation of boundary layers in front of the pier a dimensionless number combination of Fr and Re must be used.

Keywords: circular pier; large Eddy simulation; LES; scaling analysis; turbulent flow; two-phase volume of fluid.

DOI: 10.1504/PCFD.2020.109904

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal, 2020 Vol.20 No.5, pp.273 - 283

Accepted: 11 Jan 2020
Published online: 29 Sep 2020 *

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