Measuring the Rate of Sediment Transport and Erosion in Physical Model Testing

This project dealt with the study of surface erosion of levees, earth dams, and embankments. The objective of the research was to develop tools that would improve the understanding of the process of levee failure due to erosion and reduce the risk of failure. Detailed results of the project have been presented elsewhere. This paper deals with one part of the research, the determination of the amounts, and rates of sediment transport due to the soil erosion. In this research, a large number of physical levee erosion tests were performed at 1-g and at high g’s using a geotechnical centrifuge. Centrifuge tests were performed simulating real (prototype) size levees. The erosion was modeled physically in detail. A Kinect device was used to scan and evaluate the volume of eroded soil and variation of the shape of the channels as a function of time. Three-dimensional images were obtained, and variations of the depth of the eroded channels along their length were plotted. Since some assumptions were made in the process of analyzing the Kinect data, it was necessary to validate the data, and recorded videos taken with a high-speed camera were used to provide images of the soil erosion. These values were compared to the results of the Kinect data. The Kinect results agreed well with the physical models. The Kinect is a low cost sensor, and enabled the measurement of the rate of soil erosion, which if done at all, usually requires expensive equipment. The Kinect device functioned well in the high g environment of the centrifuge experiments. It is believed to be the first use of a Kinect device in a centrifuge.