Test of a Method to Calculate Near-Bank Velocity and Boundary Shear Stress
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 7
Abstract
Detailed knowledge of the flow and boundary shear stress fields near the banks of natural channels is essential for making accurate calculations of rates of near-bank sediment transport and geomorphic adjustment. This paper presents a high-resolution laboratory data set of velocity and boundary shear stress measurements and uses it to test a relatively simple, fully predictive, numerical method for determining these distributions across the cross-section of a straight channel. The measurements are made in a flume with a fairly complex cross-section that includes a simulated, cobble-roughened floodplain. The method tested is that reported by Kean and Smith in Riparian Vegetation and Fluvial Geomorphology in 2004, which is modified here to include the effects of drag on clasts located in the channel. The calculated patterns of velocity and boundary shear stress are shown to be in reasonable agreement with the measurements. The principal differences between the measured and calculated fields are the result of secondary circulations, which are not included in the calculation. Better agreement with the structure of the measured streamwise velocity field is obtained by distorting the calculated flow field with the measured secondary flow. Calculations for a variety of narrower and wider configurations of the original flume geometry are used to show how the width-to-depth ratio affects the distribution of velocity and boundary shear stress across the channel.
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Acknowledgments
John Cox made most of the detailed flume measurements that were used in this study. Robert Wells provided additional measurement support. Ned Andrews, Jeff Coe, and three anonymous reviewers made many helpful suggestions.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 7 • July 2009
Pages: 588 - 601
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 1, 2007
Accepted: Jan 11, 2009
Published online: Feb 6, 2009
Published in print: Jul 2009
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