COLLABORATIVE: SEAHIVE® Solutions to Mitigate Bridge Scour-Phase I Scour

Details

• Creators:
  Akte, Sonia ; Castillom, Rodolfo ; Faroughi, Salah ; Kulesza, Stacey ; Rhode-Barbarigos, Landolf
• Corporate Creators:
  Texas State University--San Marcos. Dept. of Engineering Technology ; University of Utah ; University of Miami
• Corporate Contributors:
  CREATE - Coastal REsearch And Transportation Education ; United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program ; United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Bridges Countermeasures Flow Flow-structure Interaction Morphology Scour Scour Mitigation SEAHIVE® SedFOAM Sediments
• Publication/ Report Number:
  2301-11
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report: 07-06-2026
• Corporate Publisher:
  CREATE - Coastal REsearch And Transportation Education
• Abstract:
  This study investigates the performance of SEAHIVE®, a modular, bio-inspired concrete structure with surface perforations, as a proactive countermeasure to mitigate local scour around bridge piers. Despite increasing frequency of extreme hydraulic events, the design approach to scour remains reactive with conventional methods such as riprap and gabion mattresses after scour initiation. This research considers an alternative where scour mitigation is proactive by integrating SEAHIVE® elements to reduce flow-induced erosion before it reaches critical levels. The efficacy of SEAHIVE® as scour mitigation was explored experimentally and computationally. Experimental flume tests were conducted on both standalone and grouped SEAHIVE® configurations to quantify scour depth and energy dissipation relative to traditional circular monopiles. High-fidelity numerical simulations were performed using the SedFOAM solver within the Open FOAM framework, applying a two-phase flow model with k-?? turbulence closure to further quantify the fluid/sediment interactions. The results demonstrate that SEAHIVE® reduces vortex strength and turbulence intensity around the pier, leading to measurable improvements in scour mitigation. Experimentally, the standalone SEAHIVE® reduced scour depth by 7%, while the grouped arrangement, placed at three pier diameters upstream, achieved a 70% reduction. Numerically, the fully perforated SEAHIVE® showed a 28% reduction in scour depth, and the zigzag-patterned design achieved a 20% reduction, relative to a non-SEAHIVE® control case. Moreover, when grouped SEAHIVE® units were three pier diameters upstream, scour depth was reduced by approximately 38% and velocity magnitudes by 25%. Analysis of bed morphology and turbulence characteristics revealed that SEAHIVE® elements promoted smoother flow transitions, suppressed horseshoe vortex formation, and redistributed sediment transport away from critical zones. The consistency between experimental and numerical results underscores the validity of using SEAHIVE® in practical applications.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  69A3552348330
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c940cd83cb4c1107ad92184b52d870921fbf0fcb2a73b6aa82c671996b9044d4b32d6ede58ab063d55bed86af247143d30ecfe32e63666fc602e92ca334ea5ad
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92746/dot_92746_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.21 MB ]