Flow in alluvial-river curves

Abstract

Uniform flow in curved, wide, erodible-bed channels is formulated on the basis of the conservation of flux of moment-of-momentum, to obtain relations for the vertical distributions of radial-plane velocity and radial shear stress. The expression for the radial stress exerted on the bed is utilized in a force-equilibrium analysis of the moving bed layer to obtain relations for the average transverse slope of the bed and for the radial bed profile. The reduction of primary bed shear stress due to the net radial transport of streamwise momentum toward the outer (concave) bank is then calculated, by introducing the derived expressions for the velocity components into the momentum equation for the primary-flow direction. It is found that the stress reductions in deep, narrow channels can exceed 50%. Bed profiles and velocity distributions measured in natural and laboratory streams are found to be in good conformity with those calculated from this moment-based theory.