Stream Bank Erosion: In Situ Flume Tests

K. Debnath, V. Nikora, A. Elliott

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A new technique for testing the erodibility of cohesive stream banks using an in situ flume is presented. The erosion rate is estimated from direct measurements of bed surface elevations by acoustic sensors. The sediment resuspension rate is obtained using data on sediment concentrations measured by optical backscatter sensors and from water samples. The bed-load contribution to the total erosion rate is evaluated from the conservation equation for sediments. Temporal patterns of erosion and resuspension rates are studied employing stepwise increments of bed-shear stress. The data show that bed load plays a significant role in cohesive bank erosion. The data analysis suggests that erosion and resuspension thresholds observed in experiments were very low or equal to zero. The data support the power type equation for the erosion and resuspension rates with bed-shear stress as the key factor. The data also highlights the potential importance of mud content and water content on erosion.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)256-264
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume133
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2007

Keywords

  • cohesive sediments
  • alluvial streams
  • bank erosion
  • bedload
  • field tests
  • flumes
  • in situ tests
  • mud/sand mixtures
  • fine sediment
  • shear-stress
  • resuspension
  • aggregation
  • erodibility
  • harbor
  • bay
  • bed

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