Local scour around in-stream structures is of great importance to the functionality and longevity of these structures. In addition to experimental and field measurements, three-dimensional (3D) computational modeling has been used as a valuable tool to reveal more flow and sediment physics which is difficult or impossible to be obtained otherwise. This talk will present some recent development on a 3D scour model, ibScourFoam, based on an immersed boundary method. ibScourFoam is developed in the open source computational physics platform OpenFOAM. This model adopts a sharp-interface immersed boundary method. The sediment bed is embedded in a Cartesian mesh as an immersed boundary. A new wall model is developed to produce a smooth wall shear for sediment transport prediction. This scour model is validated against experimental data for scour around complex structures. It also provides a potential way for scour predictions in the field-scale rivers.

Three-dimensional Scour Modeling Based on an Immersed Boundary Method in OpenFOAM

Created in 1999, the Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) is the recognized leader within ASCE for the integration of technical expertise and public policy in the planning, design, construction, and operation of environmentally sound and sustainable infrastructure impacting air, land and water resources.

[Paper Proceedings](https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483466)

Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.26226/m.6329c39b68fb0e00131f77d2