ABSTRACT
Local scour of piers is a potential danger threatening the operational safety of the sea-crossing bridge. Reliable scour depth prediction of piers can make the economic maintenance of the sea-crossing bridge. Considering the Hangzhou Bay Sea-crossing Bridge as the research prototype, based on the measured data and numerical simulation, the flow-field structure in front of the pier and the shape of the scour hole around the pier are simplified, and the prediction equation of the maximum depth of local scour is derived based on the energy balance theory. Based on the measured data, the equation is verified and compared with the local scour calculation equation in the design code, and the sensitivity of the parameters in the equation is analyzed. The results reveal that the equation is feasible and accurate and can provide guidelines for future decision-making regarding the early warning and maintenance of local scour of sea-crossing bridges.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.