Author(s): Jialin Zhao; Bruce Melville; Colin Whittaker
Linked Author(s): Bruce W. Melville, Colin Whittaker
Keywords: Scour; Artificial reefs; Steady currents; Physical experiments
Abstract: This study concentrates on elucidating the scour characteristics surrounding cubic artificial reefs (ARs) in steady currents. To achieve this goal, physical experiments were conducted in a recirculating water flume with sandy bed. The flume is 12 m in length and 0.44 m in width, the testing area is placed at a recessed section which is 7.5 m from the inlet, as shown in Figure 1. The median particle size of the sand (d50) is about 0.86 mm. Figure 2 shows the artificial reef models, Model A is a solid cube without any holes, Model B has six square holes perforated through the cube, Model C has identical square holes as Model B, but it’s a hollow cube. The dimensions of the models are 10 cm, and the square holes are 3 cm x 3 cm. The material of the models is aluminum of which the density is close to the concrete. A representative experimental condition for each model is presented in Table 1 where h is the water depth, d is the characterized dimension of the model, U is the depth-averaged velocity, Uc is the critical approach velocity for sediment motion, w is the weight of each model. The equilibrium depth and width of the scour holes will be investigated, the sinking movement of the models will be tracked by cameras from the top and side views. The experimental results and discussions will be shown in the oral presentation.
Year: 2024