Durability Analysis of Bridge Foundations Subjected to Abrasion of Waterborne Sediments Using a Developed SPH Solver

Abstract Concrete has been used primarily in bridge foundations due to its low cost, easy availability, and other advantages. However, many bridges experience substantial abrasion within a fraction of their designed service life despite having thicker protective layers according to design code specifications. Most of the abrasion models in commercial software are empirical, derived from experiments with metal materials, and might not satisfy the prediction of concrete abrasion. CFD models in abrasion analysis neglect collisions between sediment particles and the restitution coefficient for particle–structure wall collisions. To bridge the gap, this study developed an abrasion solver to investigate the durability of concrete bridge foundations under abrasion. It improved existing composite abrasion models with momentum theory, considering sediment rebound after impact to enhance abrasion predictions. The model was embedded in a secondarily developed smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) solver. The accuracy of the SPH abrasion solver and the proposed abrasion model was validated according to the results of representative concrete plate abrasion experiments. Finally, the durability of a bridge pier was quantified using the thickness of the concrete protection layer as a basis. The findings offer a practical approach for predicting the abrasion resistance of bridges in environments with high exposure to waterborne sediment, ultimately improving the design and maintenance of bridge foundations in such conditions.