Tsunami Loads on a Representative Coastal Bridge Deck: Experimental Study and Validation of Design Equations

Xiang, Tao; Istrati, Denis; Yim, Solomon C.; Buckle, Ian G.; Lomónaco, Pedro

doi:10.1061/(asce)ww.1943-5460.0000560

Cited by 51 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This highlighted the need to be able to identify a priori the tsunami wave type that is expected to impact a specific coastal area in order to design properly a new structure or strengthen an existing one at that location. Fortunately, several simplified predictive load equations have been developed in the literature for a range of different types of structures, for both bores [19,20] and unbroken solitary waves [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupled SPH–FEM Modeling of Tsunami-Borne Large Debris Flow and Impact on Coastal Structures

Hasanpour

Istrati

Buckle

2021

JMSE

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Field surveys in recent tsunami events document the catastrophic effects of large waterborne debris on coastal infrastructure. Despite the availability of experimental studies, numerical studies investigating these effects are very limited due to the need to simulate different domains (fluid, solid), complex turbulent flows and multi-physics interactions. This study presents a coupled SPH–FEM modeling approach that simulates the fluid with particles, and the flume, the debris and the structure with mesh-based finite elements. The interaction between the fluid and solid bodies is captured via node-to-solid contacts, while the interaction of the debris with the flume and the structure is defined via a two-way segment-based contact. The modeling approach is validated using available large-scale experiments in the literature, in which a restrained shipping container is transported by a tsunami bore inland until it impacts a vertical column. Comparison of the experimental data with the two-dimensional numerical simulations reveals that the SPH–FEM models can predict (i) the non-linear transformation of the tsunami wave as it propagates towards the coast, (ii) the debris–fluid interaction and (iii) the impact on a coastal structure, with reasonable accuracy. Following the validation of the models, a limited investigation was conducted, which demonstrated the generation of significant debris pitching that led to a non-normal impact on the column with a reduced contact area and impact force. While the exact level of debris pitching is highly dependent on the tsunami characteristics and the initial water depth, it could potentially result in a non-linear force–velocity trend that has not been considered to date, highlighting the need for further investigation preferably with three-dimensional models.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupled SPH–FEM Modeling of Tsunami-Borne Large Debris Flow and Impact on Coastal Structures

Hasanpour

Istrati

Buckle

2021

JMSE

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“…Despite the development of several predictive wave load equations in recent years (e.g. [6][7][8][9][10]) the majority of them were calibrated with datasets from specific deck types, making it hard to find a set of universal equations that can be applied to other deck configurations and geometries outside the original dataset. Therefore, it became necessary to understand the effects of extreme waves on a wider range of coastal decks, and to develop accurate methodologies for the prediction of the applied loads.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Extreme Wave Impact on Coastal Decks with Different Geometries via the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian Method

Tao¹,

Istrati²

2021

Preprint

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Given the documented wave-induced damage of elevated coastal decks during extreme natural hazards (e.g. hurricanes) in the last two decades, it is of utmost significance to decipher the wave-structure-interaction of complex deck geometries and quantify the associated loads. Therefore, this study focuses on the assessment of solitary wave impact on open-girder decks that allow the air to escape from the sides. To this end, an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) numerical method with a multi-phase compressible formulation is used for the development of three-dimensional hydrodynamic models, which are validated against a large-scale experimental dataset of a coastal deck. Using the validated model as a baseline, a parametric investigation of different deck geometries with a varying number of girders Ng and three different widths, was conducted. The results reveal that the Ng of a superstructure has a complex role and that for small wave heights the horizontal and uplift forces increase with the Ng, while for large waves the opposite happens. If the Ng is small the wave particles accelerate after the initial impact on the offshore girder leading to a more violent slamming on the onshore part of the deck and larger pressures and forces, however, if Ng is large then unsynchronized eddies are formed in each chamber, which dissipate energy and apply out-of-phase pressures that result in multiple but weaker impacts on the deck. The decomposition of the total loads into slamming and quasi-static components, reveals surprisingly consistent trends for all the simulated waves, which facilitates the development of predictive load equations. These new equations, which are a function of Ng and are limited by the ratio of the wavelength to the deck width, provide more accurate predictions than existing empirical methods, and are expected to be useful to both engineers and researchers working towards the development of resilient coastal infrastructure.

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“…A significant number of laboratory tests have been carried out to study the wavedeck interaction since the turning point (e.g., Douglass et al 2006;IEMURA et al 2007;Sugimoto and Unjoh 2007;Bradner 2008;McPherson 2008;Cuomo et al 2009;Sheppard and Marin 2009;Bradner et al 2011;Lau et al 2011;Lukkunaprasit et al 2011;Hayatdavoodi et al 2014;Rahman et al 2014;Seiffert et al 2014;Seiffert et al 2015;Guo et al 2015a;Chen et al 2016;Chen et al 2018;Xiao and Guo 2018;Huang, Zhu, Cui, Duan, and Cai, 2018;Zhu et al 2018;Huang, Duan, et al, 2019;Fang et al 2019;Xiang et al 2020;Zhu and Dong 2020). To gain a better understanding of the wave-deck interaction, Douglass et al (2006) conducted experimental tests with a scale model (1:15) hit by normally incident waves under various water conditions, and some additional understandings of the magnitude of the forces that occurred for a set of wave conditions and given bridge geometry were provided.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…To gain a better understanding of the wave-deck interaction, Douglass et al (2006) conducted experimental tests with a scale model (1:15) hit by normally incident waves under various water conditions, and some additional understandings of the magnitude of the forces that occurred for a set of wave conditions and given bridge geometry were provided. Fang et al (2019) conducted a detailed test covering different wave angles in the wave flume, and the characteristics of wave forces under different wave conditions were studied, inferring the vertical wave force reached the peak at a wave angle of 30°under a clearance of 0.04 m. A lot of empirical formulas were later proposed for fast evaluation of wave forces on bridge decks based on the experimental results (e.g., Douglass et al 2006;Cuomo et al 2007;AASHTO, 2008;Chen et al 2009;Chen et al 2018;Liu et al 2019;Xiang et al 2020). Nevertheless, the majority of the empirical formula provides the maximum wave forces acting on the coastal bridge decks other than the instantaneous wave-deck interaction in each moment, which may bring errors in the final design of bridge decks.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…When the incident wave directly hits the elevated bridge deck, wave breaking occurs, resulting in wave overtopping above the deck surface and air bubbles forming in the water. The conventional potential flow method faces a difficult challenge in accurately predicting the highly nonlinear wave-deck interaction, and such cases are best studied by the use of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solvers regardless of the submerged or elevated condition of the bridge deck (e.g., Huang and Xiao 2009;Bozorgnia et al 2010;Xiao et al 2010;Jin and Meng 2011;Bricker et al 2012;Bozorgnia and Lee 2012;Yim and Azadbakht 2013;Azadbakht 2013;Azadbakht and Yim 2014;Hayatdavoodi et al 2014;Xu and Cai 2014;Ataei and Padgett 2014;Seiffert et al 2015;Xu and Cai 2015;Xu and Cai 2015;Chen et al 2016;Xu et al 2018a;Xu et al 2018b;Xiao and Guo 2018;Huang, Yang, et al, 2019;Istrati and Buckle 2019;Qu et al 2019;Moideen et al 2019;Montoya et al 2019;Greco et al 2020;Hu et al 2020;Qu et al 2020a;Qu et al 2020b;Xiang et al 2020;Yang et al 2020;Zhao et al 2020aZhao et al , 2020bZhu and Dong 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Review of wave forces on bridge decks with experimental and numerical methods

Chen

et al. 2021

ABEN

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Massive coastal bridges were damaged in Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005), and considerable efforts have been devoted to the studies of wave forces acting on bridge decks since then. When the hurricane and tsunamis approach the coastal zones, the mean water level is elevated, making it possible for the incident wave to hit the bridge deck directly. The study of wave force acting on the bridge deck is essential for the investigation of bridge failure mechanism, and a literature review of wave forces with experimental and numerical methods after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina is presented in this paper. Though the experiments and numerical models can not fully simulate the wave-deck interaction as in realistic conditions, remarkable progress has been achieved, and some significant findings help the researchers to further understand the failure mechanism of the bridge deck. Emphasis is given to the studies that have significantly improved our understanding of the topic. Challenges associated with the existing studies and suggestions for future studies are presented for a deeper understanding of the failure mechanism of the bridge deck, and more countermeasures are expected to protect the bridge deck under extreme wave forces.

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Tsunami Loads on a Representative Coastal Bridge Deck: Experimental Study and Validation of Design Equations

Cited by 51 publications

References 29 publications

Coupled SPH–FEM Modeling of Tsunami-Borne Large Debris Flow and Impact on Coastal Structures

Coupled SPH–FEM Modeling of Tsunami-Borne Large Debris Flow and Impact on Coastal Structures

Assessment of Extreme Wave Impact on Coastal Decks with Different Geometries via the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian Method

Review of wave forces on bridge decks with experimental and numerical methods

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