CFD Analysis of Current-Induced Loads on Large Caisson at Supercritical Reynolds Number

2004 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subrata K. Chakrabarti ◽  
Kristian K. Debus ◽  
Jonathan Berkoe ◽  
Brigette Rosendall

The newly constructed Tacoma Narrows Bridge Piers represent large concrete floating caissons during their construction. For designing their mooring system the current force applied on the caissons in the Narrows must be known. The flow field around the caisson is highly complex and the calculation of the current load on the caisson by analytical means is difficult. On the other hand, model tests suffer from the distortion in the Reynolds number. Therefore, a two-prong approach was undertaken. Besides the fixed model test of the caissons for current forces, a CFD analysis of the flow around the caisson is chosen. A three-dimensional CFD approach is considered more appropriate than a two-dimensional one, since the bottom contour at the site is irregular and water depth is rather shallow. This paper discusses the CFD method and the results obtained from such analysis. The numerical analysis was carried out in both ebb and flood flow of the tidal current in the basin. One of the difficulties of the computational method is the very high Reynolds number encountered by the large current and large size of the caisson. The analysis is performed in both model and full scales so that the difference in the results may be investigated. Also, since the model test data are available, comparisons are made between the CFD and model test results on the drag and lift forces on the caisson.

Author(s):  
Subrata K. Chakrabarti ◽  
Kristian K. Debus ◽  
Jonathan Berkoe ◽  
Brigette Rosendall

The newly constructed Tacoma Narrows Bridge Piers represent large concrete floating caissons during their construction. For designing their mooring system the current force applied on the caissons in the Narrows must be known. The flow field around the caisson is highly complex and the calculation of the current load on the caisson by analytical means is difficult. On the other hand, model tests suffer from the distortion in the Reynolds number. Therefore, a two-prong approach was undertaken. Besides the fixed model test of the caissons for current forces, a CFD analysis of the flow around the caisson is chosen. A 3-D CFD approach is considered more appropriate than a 2-D one, since the bottom contour at the site is irregular and water depth is rather shallow. This paper discusses the CFD method and the results obtained from such analysis. The numerical analysis was carried out in both ebb and flood flow of the tidal current in the basin. One of the difficulties of the computational method is very high Reynolds number encountered by the large current and large size of the caisson. The analysis was performed in both model and full scales so that the difference in the results may be investigated. Also, since the model test data was available, comparisons could be made between the CFD and model test results on the drag and lift forces on the caisson.


2014 ◽  
Vol 543-547 ◽  
pp. 434-440
Author(s):  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Wei Xie ◽  
Wen Yang Duan ◽  
Chang Hong Hu

Based on fully structured grids parallel numerical simulations of flow around a cylinder under different Reynolds number are carried out. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional models are established at the same time under specific Reynolds number, and further analyze of three-dimensional flow characteristics as well as the generated influence to overall physical quantities are presented. In order to explore efficient high Reynolds number turbulence models, a comparative research of the LES model without wall functions and the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model is carried out. In order to improve the computational efficiency, a domain decomposition parallel computing strategy is used, and a calculation strategy that results of coarse grid was assigned to fine grid as initial field value by 3D linear interpolation is presented. Simulation results show that: Drag coefficient and Strouhal number have very good consistency with the experimental data, which verifies the correctness of the calculation method; Even if at low Reynolds number (200≤Re≤300), using a three-dimensional model is still necessary; While in the high Reynolds number stage, compared to LES model without wall functions, Spalart-Allmaras model is more applicable and more efficient.


2008 ◽  
Vol 617 ◽  
pp. 355-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
VAGESH D. NARASIMHAMURTHY ◽  
HELGE I. ANDERSSON ◽  
BJØRNAR PETTERSEN

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of vortex shedding behind a tapered plate with the taper ratio 20 placed normal to the inflow has been performed. The Reynolds numbers based on the uniform inflow velocity and the width of the plate at the wide and narrow ends were 1000 and 250, respectively. For the first time ever cellular vortex shedding was observed behind a tapered plate in a numerical experiment (DNS). Multiple cells of constant shedding frequency were found along the span of the plate. This is in contrast to apparent lack of cellular vortex shedding found in the high-Reynolds-number experiments by Gaster & Ponsford (Aero. J., vol. 88, 1984, p. 206). However, the present DNS data is in good qualitative agreement with similar high-Reynolds-number experimental data produced by Castro & Watson (Exp. Fluids, vol. 37, 2004, p. 159). It was observed that a tapered plate creates longer formation length coupled with higher base pressure as compared to non-tapered (i.e. uniform) plates. The three-dimensional recirculation bubble was nearly conical in shape. A significant base pressure reduction towards the narrow end of the plate, which results in a corresponding increase in Strouhal number, was noticed. This observation is consistent with the experimental data of Castro & Rogers (Exp. Fluids, vol. 33, 2002, p. 66). Pressure-driven spanwise secondary motion was observed, both in the front stagnation zone and also in the wake, thereby reflecting the three-dimensionality induced by the tapering.


2016 ◽  
Vol 798 ◽  
pp. 88-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohit P. Dalwadi ◽  
S. Jonathan Chapman ◽  
Sarah L. Waters ◽  
James M. Oliver

The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to study the canonical problem of steady laminar flow through a narrow two-dimensional channel blocked by a tight-fitting finite-length highly permeable porous obstacle. We investigate the behaviour of the local flow close to the interface between the single-phase and porous regions (governed by the incompressible Navier–Stokes and Darcy flow equations, respectively). We solve for the flow in these inner regions in the limits of low and high Reynolds number, facilitating an understanding of the nature of the transition from Poiseuille to plug to Poiseuille flow in each of these limits. Significant analytical progress is made in the high Reynolds number limit, and we explore in detail the rich boundary layer structure that occurs. We derive general results for the interfacial stress and for the conditions that couple the flow in the outer regions away from the interface. We consider the three-dimensional generalization to unsteady laminar flow through and around a tight-fitting highly permeable cylindrical porous obstacle within a Hele-Shaw cell. For the high Reynolds number limit, we give the coupling conditions and interfacial stress in terms of the outer flow variables, allowing information from a nonlinear three-dimensional problem to be obtained by solving a linear two-dimensional problem. Finally, we illustrate the utility of our analysis by considering the specific example of time-dependent forced far-field flow in a Hele-Shaw cell containing a porous cylinder with a circular cross-section. We determine the internal stress within the porous obstacle, which is key for tissue engineering applications, and the interfacial stress on the boundary of the porous obstacle, which has applications to biofilm erosion. In the high Reynolds number limit, we demonstrate that the fluid inertia can result in the cylinder experiencing a time-independent net force, even when the far-field forcing is periodic with zero mean.


2013 ◽  
Vol 733 ◽  
pp. 171-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Espinosa-Gayosso ◽  
Marco Ghisalberti ◽  
Gregory N. Ivey ◽  
Nicole L. Jones

AbstractParticle capture, whereby suspended particles contact and adhere to a solid surface (a ‘collector’), is an important mechanism for a range of environmental processes including suspension feeding by corals and ‘filtering’ by aquatic vegetation. In this paper, we use two- and three-dimensional direct numerical simulations to quantify the capture efficiency ($\eta $) of low-inertia particles by a circular cylindrical collector at intermediate Reynolds numbers in the vortex-shedding regime (i.e. for $47\lt \mathit{Re}\leq 1000$, where $\mathit{Re}$ is the collector Reynolds number). We demonstrate that vortex shedding induces oscillations near the leading face of the collector which greatly affect the quantity and distribution of captured particles. Unlike in steady, low-$\mathit{Re}$ flow, particles directly upstream of the collector are not the most likely to be captured. Our results demonstrate the dependence of the time-averaged capture efficiency on $\mathit{Re}$ and particle size, improving the predictive capability for the capture of particles by aquatic collectors. The transition to theoretical high-Reynolds-number behaviour (i.e. $\eta \sim {\mathit{Re}}^{1/ 2} $) is complex due to comparatively rapid changes in wake conditions in this Reynolds number range.


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