Computational study on hydrodynamic characteristics of bridge pier under impacts of different types of tidal bores

The continuous cyclic hydrodynamic impacts of the destructive tidal bore can pose a significant threat to the safety of bridge foundation in the strong tide waters. It is of great engineering and academical values to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics of bridge foundation under the actions of tidal bores in different strengths. However, previous studies in this realm are few and unsystematic. Based on the high-resolution two-phase flow model OpenFoam®, a systematic numerical study has been carried out to analyze the complex hydrodynamic characteristics of bridge pier under the actions of different types of tidal bores, such as undular tidal bore, weak breaking tidal bore and breaking tidal bore. Influences of the tidal bore height and initial water depth are discussed in detail. The research findings of this study reveal that the complex hydrodynamic characteristics of bridge piers are greatly affected by the type and intensity of tidal bores. Noticeable differences exist in the hydrodynamic characteristics of the bridge pier under the action of different types of tidal bores. Besides, this study also proposes two new empirical formulas in high accuracy to predict the maximum dynamic pressure and maximum hydrodynamic load exerted at the bridge pier by the tidal bore. It is expected that these research results can further deepen the understanding on the complex evolutions of tidal bores and their interactions with the structures in strong tidal waters . • Complex hydrodynamic characteristics of bridge pier under the actions of different types of tidal bores have been numerically investigated by applying a high-resolution two-phase flow solver. • Influences of the tidal bore height and initial water depth on the hydrodynamic characteristics of bridge pier are discussed in detail. • New empirical formulas in high accuracy have been proposed to predict the maximum dynamic pressure and maximum hydrodynamic load exerted at the bridge pier by the tidal bore .