This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the backfilling of scour holes around circular piles. Scour holes around a pile are generated either by a current or a wave. Subsequently, the flow climate is changed from current to wave, combined waves and current, or wave to a smaller wave, leading to the backfilling of the scour hole. The investigation has shed light onto the mechanism behind the backfilling process. The results show that the scour depth corresponding to the equilibrium state of backfilling is the same as that corresponding to the equilibrium state of scour around the pile for the same wave (or combined waves and current) climate. The time scale of backfilling has been determined as a function of three parameters, namely, (1) the Keulegan-Carpenter number of the initial wave or current (which generates the initial scour hole); (2) that of the subsequent wave, which backfills the scour hole; and (3) the Shields parameter associated with the latter wave, for liv...

An experimental study on the control of scour at vertical circular piles under monochromatic waves and a steady current is presented. The experiments on wave and steady currents were carried out under live-bed and clear-water regimes, respectively. In waves, splitter plate attached to the pile along the vertical plane of symmetry and threaded pile (helical wires or cables wrapped spirally on the pile to form threads) were found to be effective to reduce the scour depth. For the Keulegan–Carpenter numbers 6–100, the vortex shedding is the main mechanism of scour under waves. The splitter plate and threaded pile disrupt the vortex shedding. The average reduction of the scour depth by the splitter plate was 61.6%. For threaded piles, different combinations of cable and pile sizes were tested, and the best combination was found for a cable–pile diameter ratio equaling 0.75, in which average scour depth reduction was 51.1%. The average reductions of scour depths for other cable–pile diameter ratios of 0.33 and...

This study continues the investigation of wave boundary layers reported by Carstensen, Sumer & Fredsøe (J. Fluid Mech., 2010, part 1 of this paper). The present paper summarizes the results of an experimental investigation of turbulent solitary wave boundary layers, simulated by solitary motion in an oscillating water tunnel. Two kinds of measurements were made: bed shear stress measurements and velocity measurements. The experiments show that the solitary-motion boundary layer experiences three kinds of flow regimes as the Reynolds number is increased: (i) laminar regime; (ii) laminar regime where the boundary-layer flow experiences a regular array of vortex tubes near the bed over a short period of time during the deceleration stage; and (iii) transitional regime characterized with turbulent spots, revealed by single/multiple, or, sometimes, quite dense spikes in the bed shear stress traces. Supplementary synchronized flow visualization tests confirmed the presence of the previously mentioned flow features. Information related to flow resistance are also given in the paper.

This work concerns oscillatory boundary layers over smooth beds. It comprises combined visual and quantitative techniques including bed shear stress measurements. The experiments were carried out in an oscillating water tunnel. The experiments reveal two significant coherent flow structures: (i) Vortex tubes, essentially two-dimensional vortices close to the bed extending across the width of the boundary-layer flow, caused by an inflectional-point shear layer instability. The imprint of these vortices in the bed shear stress is a series of small, insignificant kinks and dips. (ii) Turbulent spots, isolated arrowhead-shaped areas close to the bed in an otherwise laminar boundary layer where the flow ‘bursts’ with violent oscillations. The emergence of the turbulent spots marks the onset of turbulence. Turbulent spots cause single or multiple violent spikes in the bed shear stress signal, which has profound implications for sediment transport (in both the laboratory and the field). The experiments also show that similar coherent flow structures exist in the case of combined oscillatory flow and current.