Author(s): F. Beaman; C. A. Gonzalez

Linked Author(s): Carlos Alberto Gonzalez Murillo

Keywords: Flood forces; Drag; Lift; Physical modelling; Bridge structure; Walkway

Abstract: The most high profile and significant single loss of transport infrastructure during the January 2011 Brisbane floods was arguably the New Farm Floating Walkway. During the January 2011 flood events in Brisbane the floating Walkway suffered extensive damage, ultimately causing the downstream section of the structure to be washed away. The upstream section of the original walkway was subsequently removed as the piles suffered damage during the flood event. A replacement structure, the New Farm RiverWalk (NFRW) was consequently designed and commissioned and its construction is currently underway. The NFRW is unique in that it is primarily parallel to the Brisbane River. There is little guidance on the appropriate drag and lift forces needed to design such a structure. To more accurately determine these forces, both computational and physical modelling tests were carried out within the design stage of the replacement structure. The combined results of physical modelling using a 1 in 38 scale model, and a computational steady state quasi 3D model enabled flood forces to be calculated with a much greater degree of certainty.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14264/uql.2014.17

Year: 2014