Why this matters
Coastal bridges are lifelines after hurricanes, but many were never designed for waves slamming directly into their decks. Events like Hurricane Katrina showed that storm surge and waves can lift or wash away bridge decks, shutting down key transportation corridors exactly when they’re needed most.
What I set out to do
For my B.Tech thesis at IIT Bombay, I set out to build numerical models that can predict these wave-induced forces on bridge decks more realistically than existing simplified formulas. I focused on how storm waves interact with different deck geometries and validated my simulations against a well-documented physical experiment by McPherson (2008).
How I approached it
I developed a numerical wave tank in two environments:
- REEF3D – to model wave generation, propagation, and impact on a flat plate deck using Navier–Stokes equations and level-set free-surface tracking.
- ANSYS Fluent + Transient Structural (two-way FSI) – to couple fluid flow and structural response for a thin flat slab, a thicker slab, and a 1:20 scale girdered bridge deck based on the US-90 Biloxi Bay bridge.
Key results & takeaways
The coupled ANSYS model reproduced the measured vertical forces on the flat plate with matching trends and magnitudes, giving confidence in the approach. Doubling deck thickness roughly doubled the horizontal forces, and the girdered deck experienced significantly higher horizontal loads due to its larger projected area. This project strengthened my foundation in CFD, fluid–structure interaction, and experiment-calibrated modeling—skills I now apply to other structural systems.