On the use of lightweight mateials in small-scale mobile bed physical models

Abstract

ABSTRACT Petruzzelli, V., Gracia Garcia, V., Gironella i Cobos, F.X. and Petrillo, A.F., 2013. On the use of lightweight materials in small-scale mobile bed physical models. In this paper an evaluation of the morphodynamic response of different relatively common lightweight materials in small-scale physical models is presented. Results must serve to provide an overview of the various aspects likely to sensibly influence on sediments morphological response in small-scale tests and to determine the possible suitability of the low-density particles investigated for coastal modelling. Different granular materials, covering densities between 1150 kg/m3 and 2650 kg/m3 and median diameters from 0.07 mm to 1.5 mm have been selected to reproduce the experiments carried out in 1987 in the Groβen Wellen Kanal (Hannover, Germany). Tests have been performed at the Technical University of Bari (Bari, Italy) at scale 1:100 and at the Technical University of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain) at scales ranging from 1:15 to 1:5...