Drag Coefficient of Rigid and Flexible Deciduous Trees in Riparian Forests
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 5
Abstract
Considerable parts of riparian forests around the world are covered by deciduous trees and tall shrub species with rigid trunk and flexible-broadleaf. Experiments are conducted on artificial rigid and flexible models to estimate drag coefficient and resistance to flow for deciduous trees in forest floodplains under nonsubmerged condition. The rigid and flexible models with similar size and configuration are tested in a laboratory flume to clearly determine the effects of vegetation flexibility and density, and the flow velocity and depth on the roughness coefficients. Ratios of the flexible to rigid drag forces and drag coefficients indicate considerable effects of flexibility on the roughness coefficients. In this study, the flexural rigidity of the tree leaf is used in the roughness equations to account for vegetation flexibility instead of the traditionally used tree trunk flexural rigidity. This is based on the assumption that foliage flexibility governs tree reaction to the flow for most species of deciduous trees and leafy tall shrub families. The developed roughness coefficient equations are scaled up to determine the variation of Manning’s -value with increase of flow depth for a riparian canopy of black willow. The estimated Manning’s -values are compared with the reported Manning -values for the same black willow canopy.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the journal editors and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions on this paper. The Research Council of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz and Center of excellence for the improvement and maintenance of the irrigation and drainage networks are also acknowledged for financial support (Grant No. SCU-723/2021) and facilitation of the experiments.
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Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 5 • September 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 18, 2023
Accepted: Apr 10, 2024
Published online: Jun 13, 2024
Published in print: Sep 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Nov 13, 2024
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