A numerical analysis of scour of suction bucket foundation in sand

Abstract

To investigate the mechanism and influencing factors of sand scouring around the suction bucket foundation under the influence of unidirectional flow, we established a three-dimensional numerical simulation model based on the renormalized group k-ε model and Meyer-Peter Muller formula. The results show that when the current velocity is very low, the local scour process of the mono-bucket foundation experiences three stages: rapid erosion stage, slow erosion stage, and equilibrium stage. The local scour depth fluctuated when the unidirectional flow velocity exceeded 2 m/s. The greater the velocity, the more severe the velocity's influence on the maximum scour depth. The larger the area of the suction tube exposed from the surface of the bed, the greater the scouring degree and the faster the scouring balance is achieved. The distance between the suction tripod-buckets of the foundation cylinders affects the development of local scour depth inside and outside the cylinder foundation in the downstream direction of water flow. The results of this paper can provide a reference for the design, operation, and maintenance of the suction bucket foundation.