Bedforms and Flow Resistance of Cohesive Beds with and without Biofilm Coating
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 8
Abstract
The bedforms on a biofilm-coated sediment (biosediment) bed are different from those on a noncohesive sediment bed under an identical flow condition and sediment particle size without biofilm. Bedforms on biosediment beds can therefore modify the resistance to flow. In this study, experiments were conducted for the bedforms on both cohesive and biosediment beds. The biofilm coat around the fine cohesive sediment particles of a median size less than 0.1 mm was cultivated within a laboratory flume. The bedforms on biosediment beds are identified as dunes by comparing the Froude number and the Shields parameter. The equations of bedform steepness, bedform height, and equivalent roughness for biosediment beds are empirically derived. The maximum variations of equivalent roughness, Chézy coefficient, and Manning coefficient for a biosediment bed are 96.7, 60.5, and 44.3%, respectively, as compared to those for a noncohesive sediment bed under an identical flow condition and sediment size without biofilm.
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Acknowledgments
This investigation was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0402407) and the National Science Foundation of China (No. 91647210).
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Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 8 • August 2017
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©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 10, 2016
Accepted: Dec 14, 2016
Published online: Mar 30, 2017
Published in print: Aug 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Aug 30, 2017
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