Meandering Water Rivulet
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 119, Issue 11
Abstract
To obtain the condition of stable meandering of a water rivulet on an inclined smooth plate, the bend theory including the effect of the surface‐tension force is studied. The governing equations (momentum equations and equation of continuity) are St. Venant equations of shallow water flow along the flow direction, for which the curvilinear coordinate system is employed. Applications of the bend theory of meandering rivers and the surface‐tension‐force effect lead to the bend equation of meandering water rivulets. The linear stability analysis of this bend equation for infinitesimally small disturbance derives the criterion that determines the relationship between the meander wavelength of water rivulet and flow properties such as water depth, flow velocities, and so on. The derived criterion equation contains one unknown parameter. This parameter shows the deviation of contact angles of meandering water rivulet from the straight one. This value is obtained by comparing the theoretical wave number of meandering with observed ones. As a result, the theoretical computation is found to be in good agreement with the observation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 119 • Issue 11 • November 1993
Pages: 1205 - 1222
Copyright
Copyright © 1993 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 18, 1992
Published online: Nov 1, 1993
Published in print: Nov 1993
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