Modeling and Simulation of the Erosion Rate in Hydraulic Structures

Abstract

Basically, the durability of hydraulic structures is heavily influenced by concrete surface resistance against mechanical wear. Hydro-abrasion is the term used to describe deterioration of concrete surface inflicted by the continuous removal of surface material due to the effect of water-dragged solids. This type of cumulative damage for the surface of concrete may be seen in practically all hydraulic systems, in varying degrees of severity. Essentially, such hydro-abrasive concrete wear reduces the life span of the hydraulic structure, and as a result of the maintenance necessary, the facility's non-operation during the repair time increases costs. The impact employed by the flow inclination angle, density (sand concentration in water), and velocity were studied in this work. The three various angles (30°, 45°, and 60°) different densities (35 and 45 kg/m3), and different velocities of 600, 900, and 1200 rpm were numerically determined using the program of ANSYS and the discrete phase model (DPM) for simulating the fluid solids. According to the directed numerical simulation, the greatest rate of erosion was observed when the inclination angle of the flowing water was 60°, while the least value was obtained when the inclination angle of flow was 45°, in addition, the erosion rate increases as the density and velocity increases.