Mechanism of Tsunami-Induced Erosion of Bridge-Abutment Backfill and Its Countermeasures

Tsunamis can destroy bridges in coastal areas. Studies have attempted to unravel the mechanism of tsunami-induced damage and develop effective countermeasures against future tsunamis. However, the mechanisms of tsunami-induced erosion of bridge-abutment backfill and its countermeasures have not been studied adequately. This study investigates this topic using numerical analysis. The results show that the tsunami flowing down along the downstream wing of the abutment induces bedload sediment transport on the ogive section of the backfill on the downstream side of the abutment, resulting in the onset of backfill erosion. Sediment suspension and bedload sediment transportation occur when the backfill inside the abutment starts to flow out from below the downstream wing. This leads to subsidence of the backfill at the upstream side of the downstream wing. The subsequent backfill erosion is mainly caused by bedload sediment transport. Numerical experiments on countermeasures show that extending the wings downward can prevent the acceleration of backfill erosion in the presence of the abutment. A combination of multiple countermeasures, including extended wings, would be more effective in maintaining the stability of the abutment after a tsunami. This suggests the application of such countermeasures to actual bridges as an effective countermeasure against backfill erosion.

Experimental study of the rheology of water-kaolinite suspensions

How the added electrolyte condition and size of primary sediment particles, as well as the particle concentration, affect the rheological behaviours of water-sediment suspension remains to be of interest in sediment field. In this work, rheological experiments of water-kaolinite suspensions with different electrolyte conditions, two particle sizes and 39 solid concentrations were performed. The Bingham fluid model has been adopted to fit the experimental data, and the viscosity and Bingham shear stress values were calculated for each suspension. It has been found that an increase in electrolyte concentration and/or valence leads to a larger viscosity value of the suspension, whereas an increase in electrolyte valence yields a smaller Bingham shear stress value. A simple interpretation based on DLVO theory was presented in this study. It has also been observed that a fine-grained kaolinite suspension corresponds to larger suspension viscosity and Bingham shear stress values. Additionally, some experimental information on the viscosity-solid concentration and Bingham shear stress-solid concentration relationships were also presented in this study. For the viscosity-solid concentration data, the Krieger and Dougherty formula provided the best fit, and a simple exponential relation showed a good fit for the measured shear stress-solid concentration data. HIGHLIGHT This manuscript is valuable in terms of studying ow the added electrolyte condition and size of primary sediment particles, as well as the particle concentration, affect the rheological behaviours of water-sediment suspension.