Abstract
3D numerical models are increasingly used to simulate flow, sediment transport and morphological changes of rivers. For the simulation of bedload transport, the numerical flow model is generally coupled with an empirical sediment transport model. The application range of the most widely used empirical models is, however, often limited in terms of hydraulic and sedimentological features and therefore the numerical model can hardly be applied to complex situations where different kinds of morphological processes take place at the same time, such as local scouring, bed armoring and aggradation of finer particles. As a possible solution method for this issue, we present the combined application of two bedload transport formulas that widens the application range and thus gives more appropriate simulation results. An example of this technique is presented in the paper by combining two bedload transport formulas. For model validation, the results of a laboratory experiment, where bed armoring, local scouring and local sediment deposition processes occurred, were used. The results showed that the combined application method can improve the reliability of the numerical simulations.
Highlights
The investigation of riverine sediment transport is of major interest to researchers
For the simulation of bedload transport, the numerical flow model is generally coupled with an empirical sediment transport model
The application range of the most widely used empirical models is, often limited in terms of hydraulic and sedimentological features and the numerical model can hardly be applied to complex situations where different kinds of morphological processes take place at the same time, such as local scouring, bed armoring and aggradation of finer particles
Summary
The investigation of riverine sediment transport is of major interest to researchers. There are numerous empirically derived bedload transport formulas which are used to model bedload discharge, developed usually for a given narrow range of flow and sediment regimes. The summary [1] provides a short description of the hydraulic and sediment conditions of the experiments for which the given bedload formulas were developed. These conditions define the morphological features, for which the application of the given formula is recommended. The hydraulic and sediment conditions of the benchmark experiments determine the applicability limits of the formulas, Water 2017, 9, 56; doi:10.3390/w9010056 www.mdpi.com/journal/water
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