Celerity and Height of Aggradation Fronts in Gravel-Bed Laboratory Channel
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 10
Abstract
We present the results of laboratory experiments specifically designed to quantify the height and migration rate of an aggrading gravel front. The experiments were performed in sediment feed mode with constant water and sediment supply. Particular care was put into the experimental procedure and the methods to determine the quantities of interest to ensure reproducibility of the results. The celerity and height of an aggradation front were modeled as functions of the Froude number of the flow for the initial bed profile and of a load ratio defined as the ratio of the sediment feed rate to the transport capacity of the flow for the initial bed. The two control parameters (Froude number and load ratio) also determined the translational or dispersive nature of a sediment front. Two predictors were provided to estimate the dimensionless height and celerity of an aggradation front. The former was an increasing function of the load ratio and a decreasing function of the Froude number, and the latter was roughly proportional to the squared Froude number and had no evident relationship with the load ratio. The present results are of interest for scholars and practitioners needing to determine the key properties of swift gravel fronts as those developing, for example, during flash floods.
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Data Availability Statement
The data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on request.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Stefanía Unigarro and Matteo Zucchi for participating in the aggradation experiments within their M.Sc. theses. This work was partially supported by Fondazione Cariplo (Italy), Grant No. 2017-0722, through the project entitled Sustainable Management of Sediment Transport in Response to Climate Change Conditions (SMART-SED). Insightful comments and suggestions from two anonymous reviewers enabled the manuscript to be significantly improved compared with its initial version.
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Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 10 • October 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 21, 2019
Accepted: May 4, 2021
Published online: Jul 20, 2021
Published in print: Oct 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Dec 20, 2021
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