Abstract:
Objective This study aims to reveal inter-column load differences and damage-evolution patterns of double-column piers under debris-flow impact and to provide a quantitative basis for impact-resistant design of mountain bridges.
Methods A coupled numerical simulation method combining the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Finite Difference Method (FDM) was adopted. A coupled debris-flow-double-column-pier impact model was established and validated using chute deposition tests and concrete uniaxial compression tests. The effects of debris particle size and debris-flow volume on impact force, damage, and stress evolution and distribution in bridge piers were systematically investigated.
Results The results show that debris particle size and volume both significantly control the impact response of double-column piers. As particle size increases, the peak impact force on the near pier increases from 174 N to 747 N, an increase of 329%. Damage is mainly concentrated in the middle and lower parts of the pier, whereas the far pier responds weakly because of the shielding effect of the near pier. As debris-flow volume increases, the peak impact force on the near pier rises from 747 N to 1034 N, an increase of 38.4%; pier damage evolves from scattered damage to connected failure, and the shielding effect of the near pier gradually weakens. The stress field evolves temporally from uniform loading to local stress concentration and then to large-area connected failure.
Conclusions The validated coupled DEM-FDM model can effectively simulate the dynamic interaction between debris flow and double-column piers. Debris-flow particle size regulates the impact dynamic response of near and far piers, whereas debris-flow volume controls the scale and distribution of cumulative pier damage. The near pier of a double-column bridge pier is the key component for impact protection, and the far-pier response depends on the magnitude of debris-flow bypass energy. Protective design should therefore emphasize dissipation of bypass-flow energy.