Erosion damage simulation and structural optimization of water-sediment two-phase flow in split-frame aqueduct

Erosion damage simulation and structural optimization of water-sediment two-phase flow in split-frame aqueduct | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Erosion damage simulation and structural optimization of water-sediment two-phase flow in split-frame aqueduct Junxing Bai, Zhefan Zhang, Cundong Xu, Zhihang Wang, Huimin Hou, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9261535/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract To address the reduction in structural strength and the decreased safety of separated-type aqueduct bodies due to erosion damage caused by sediment-laden flow, an erosion damage model for the aqueduct structure was established based on the theory of water-sediment two-phase flow erosion damage. This model incorporates the RNG k-ε turbulence model and the Discrete Phase Model (DPM). The FLUENT software was employed to simulate and analyze the erosive damage effects of sediment-laden flow on the separated-type aqueduct under various operating conditions. Additionally, the influence of pier heads with different aspect ratios on the flow field at the aqueduct inlet and outlet was simulated. The results indicate that the unsteady flow characteristics at different locations of the aqueduct and the geometric discontinuities in the aqueduct structure are key factors influencing erosion damage. The erosion damage rate of the structure is positively correlated with flow discharge, sediment concentration, and particle size. Specifically, variations in the frequency and intensity of sediment particle impacts on the wall can exacerbate the erosion damage. The aspect ratio and shape of the separated-type pier heads at the aqueduct inlet and outlet significantly affect the flow pattern. Compared to the common semi-circular inlet and outlet piers, when the aspect ratio of the pier head is in the range of 1.5–2.0 and the shape is streamlined, it can effectively improve the flow pattern at the aqueduct inlet and outlet sections, mitigate the flow-blocking effect of vortices, and significantly reduce the erosion damage rate of the aqueduct. The research findings can provide a technical reference for the optimal design of separated-type aqueducts and the enhancement of their erosion resistance. Physical sciences/Engineering Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Hydrology separated-type aqueduct erosion damage water-sediment two-phase flow numerical simulation structural optimization Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 14 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 14 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 14 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 10 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 10 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9261535","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":625869027,"identity":"2d468c95-31c8-45b9-8565-80871520f904","order_by":0,"name":"Junxing Bai","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Lanzhou University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Junxing","middleName":"","lastName":"Bai","suffix":""},{"id":625869028,"identity":"537802fa-07c3-4619-9d99-80415342bd3a","order_by":1,"name":"Zhefan Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhefan","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":625869029,"identity":"b6555f2f-ed30-43c3-8933-c82969896a0b","order_by":2,"name":"Cundong Xu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAt0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLACHiDmZ2Y++IA0LZLtbMkGpGkxOM9jJkCUaoPjZ8wevKm4Y7f5MIMZA0ONTTRBLZI9OeaGc848S952mCHtAcOxtNwGQlr4JXjMpHnbDiebHWY4bsDYcJiwFjaYFuNmxjYJorTAbLEzYGZmI06LZE9ameScM4cTJA6zMRskEOMXg+OHt0m8qThsz99//uODDzU2hLXAQCJYZQKxykHAnhTFo2AUjIJRMMIAAAsIOiU0hPioAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Cundong","middleName":"","lastName":"Xu","suffix":""},{"id":625869030,"identity":"75e11d4d-e491-4fac-9da9-e70a08252e67","order_by":3,"name":"Zhihang Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhihang","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":625869031,"identity":"e2245f17-bf49-4eed-a77f-b7cf0f0563eb","order_by":4,"name":"Huimin Hou","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Lanzhou University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Huimin","middleName":"","lastName":"Hou","suffix":""},{"id":625869032,"identity":"ca7f9e98-3d10-4578-b967-32610d4ff7af","order_by":5,"name":"Baichang Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Baichang","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":625869033,"identity":"253d85d6-9aa0-45d4-952a-1d5766857984","order_by":6,"name":"Haochen Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Haochen","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":625869036,"identity":"194e96cf-a998-4226-b4fc-f836bd2b801e","order_by":7,"name":"Yue Lan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yue","middleName":"","lastName":"Lan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-30 01:53:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9261535/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9261535/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107705718,"identity":"e1323244-9a80-4927-96a1-bcac6ff181c6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-24 09:14:46","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":970187,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Erosiondamagesimulationandstructuraloptimizationofwatersedimenttwophaseflowinsplitframeaqueduct.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9261535/v1_covered_c7bbff3b-e2e5-44fa-8f9b-a1511da3d8e2.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Erosion damage simulation and structural optimization of water-sediment two-phase flow in split-frame aqueduct","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"separated-type, aqueduct, erosion damage, water-sediment two-phase flow, numerical simulation, structural optimization","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9261535/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9261535/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eTo address the reduction in structural strength and the decreased safety of separated-type aqueduct bodies due to erosion damage caused by sediment-laden flow, an erosion damage model for the aqueduct structure was established based on the theory of water-sediment two-phase flow erosion damage. This model incorporates the RNG k-ε turbulence model and the Discrete Phase Model (DPM). The FLUENT software was employed to simulate and analyze the erosive damage effects of sediment-laden flow on the separated-type aqueduct under various operating conditions. Additionally, the influence of pier heads with different aspect ratios on the flow field at the aqueduct inlet and outlet was simulated. The results indicate that the unsteady flow characteristics at different locations of the aqueduct and the geometric discontinuities in the aqueduct structure are key factors influencing erosion damage. The erosion damage rate of the structure is positively correlated with flow discharge, sediment concentration, and particle size. Specifically, variations in the frequency and intensity of sediment particle impacts on the wall can exacerbate the erosion damage. The aspect ratio and shape of the separated-type pier heads at the aqueduct inlet and outlet significantly affect the flow pattern. Compared to the common semi-circular inlet and outlet piers, when the aspect ratio of the pier head is in the range of 1.5\u0026ndash;2.0 and the shape is streamlined, it can effectively improve the flow pattern at the aqueduct inlet and outlet sections, mitigate the flow-blocking effect of vortices, and significantly reduce the erosion damage rate of the aqueduct. The research findings can provide a technical reference for the optimal design of separated-type aqueducts and the enhancement of their erosion resistance.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Erosion damage simulation and structural optimization of water-sediment two-phase flow in split-frame aqueduct","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-22 05:27:19","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9261535/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-14T23:55:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-14T23:52:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-14T11:16:29+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-11T03:01:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2026-04-11T02:57:07+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"724fd953-778b-4cd9-8b16-f308744107c5","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 22nd, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":66609502,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering"},{"id":66609503,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":66609504,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Hydrology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-22T05:27:19+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-22 05:27:19","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9261535","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9261535","identity":"rs-9261535","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}