Sharif Digital Repository

Local scour around complex piers under steady clear-water condition was studied experimentally for a variety of configuration, including different sizes and shapes of complex piers. A total of 70 experiments were carried out. Three sets of experiments were performed over the entire range of possible pile cap elevations for complex piers with different geometrical characteristics. The collected data are used to quantify the pile cap elevations that maximize or minimize the local scour depth. Some of the available methodologies to estimate the maximum local scour depth around such complex piers are evaluated. The predictions of the scour depths improved by using the revised methods of... 

Liquefaction-induced lateral spreading has imposed severe damages to many important structures supported on pile foundations during past earthquakes. As a result, evaluation of pile response to lateral spreading is an important step towards safe and resistant design of pile foundations against this destructive phenomenon. Current paper aims to study the response of a group of piles subjected to liquefaction-induced lateral spreading using a large scale 1-g shake table test. General test results including time-histories of accelerations, pore water pressures, displacements and bending moments are presented and discussed in this paper. In addition, distribution of lateral soil pressure on... 

In this paper, three-dimensional turbulent flow field around a complex bridge pier placed on a rough fixed bed is experimentally investigated. The complex pier foundation consists of a column, a pile cap, and a 2×4 pile group. All of the elements are exposed to the approaching flow. An acoustic-Doppler velocimeter was used to measure instantaneously the three components of the velocities at different horizontal and vertical planes. Profiles and contours of time-averaged velocity components, turbulent intensity components, turbulent kinetic energy, and Reynolds stresses, as well as velocity vectors are presented and discussed at different vertical and horizontal planes. The approaching...