Review of wave forces on bridge decks with experimental and numerical methods

Abstract

Massive coastal bridges were damaged in Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005), and considerable efforts have been devoted to the studies of wave forces acting on bridge decks since then. When the hurricane and tsunamis approach the coastal zones, the mean water level is elevated, making it possible for the incident wave to hit the bridge deck directly. The study of wave force acting on the bridge deck is essential for the investigation of bridge failure mechanism, and a literature review of wave forces with experimental and numerical methods after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina is presented in this paper. Though the experiments and numerical models can not fully simulate the wave-deck interaction as in realistic conditions, remarkable progress has been achieved, and some significant findings help the researchers to further understand the failure mechanism of the bridge deck. Emphasis is given to the studies that have significantly improved our understanding of the topic. Challenges associated with the existing studies and suggestions for future studies are presented for a deeper understanding of the failure mechanism of the bridge deck, and more countermeasures are expected to protect the bridge deck under extreme wave forces.

Funding

Department of Education of Guangdong Province(KA200190148); Department of Natural Resources of Guangdong Province(2020017); State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences(LTO2008); Natural Science Foundation of China(52078425)