Abstract
Artificial reef (AR) is one of the key methods to restore the offshore fishery resources and ecological environment. To secure its ecological effects, it is of great significance to study the possible instability of the AR, like sinking and reversing caused by change of the submarine topography, water flow and sediment movement. In the present study, the model experiments of the triangular ARs on the mechanism of the local scour are carried out. The prototype of the triangular ARs is used in Xiaoshidao National Marine Ranching in Weihai, Shandong Province. The effects of the heights, the bottom angles and the length of the bottom of the triangular ARs on the scour volume and the equilibrium scour depth are investigated. The results show that for the ARs with the same heights, the scour depth increases with the increasing bottom angles. For the ARs with the same bottom angles, the scour depth increases with the increasing heights. A generalized linear model is used to derive the effect of the bottom angle of the triangular AR on the scour depth. The research results can provide references for the design optimization and deployment of the ARs. This proposed study will provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the optimized engineering design and construction of the ARs.
