Numerical investigations of the abrasion behavior of concrete based on a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian approach

• The mesoscale models of concrete were used to model abrasion damage evolution. • The interaction between concrete and fluid fields was considered. • The hydrodynamic forces were simulated by a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian approach. • The finite element models were compared with experiments. • The flow velocity and sediment concentration were major influencing parameters. This paper presents numerical investigations of the abrasion behavior of concrete for hydraulic structures considering concrete structural characteristics as well as various hydraulic conditions. Three-dimensional mesoscale models of concrete composed of aggregates, mortar, and interfacial transition zones are developed using in-house Python 2 codes and the commercial finite-element software Abaqus 2021. The coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian approach is employed to simulate the complex interaction effects between the hydrodynamic field and the concrete structure with a focus on abrasion material loss and energy response as functions of the governing hydraulic parameters (flow velocity and sediment concentration). The results indicate that the concrete abrasion behavior is greatly influenced by the flow velocity and sediment concentration, which are highly associated with the kinetic energy in the flow exerted on the concrete structure.