Prediction of scour around single vertical piers with different cross-section shapes

In the present work, a 3D numerical model is proposed to study local scouring around single vertical piers with different cross-section shapes under steady-current flow. The model solves the flow field and sediment transport processes using a coupled approach. The flow field is obtained by solving the Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations in combination with the k-w SST turbulence closure model and the sediment transport is considered using both bedload and suspended load models. The proposed model is validated against the empirical measurements of local scour around single vertical piers with circular, square, and diamond cross-section shapes obtained from the literature. The measurement of scour depth in equilibrium condition for the simulations reveal the differences of 4.6%, 6.7% and 13.1% from the experimental measurements for the circular, square, and diamond pier cases, respectively. The model displayed a remarkable performance in the prediction of scour around circular and square piers where horseshoe vortices (HSVs) have a leading impact on scour progression. On the other hand, the maximum deviation was found in the case of the diamond pier where HSVs are weak and have minimum impact on the formation of local scour. Overall, the results confirm that the prediction capability of the present model is almost independent of the strength of the formed HSVs and pier cross-section shapes.