Sheet flow and suspension of sand in oscillatory boundary layers

Abstract

after revisionTime-dependent measurements of flow velocities and sediment concentrations were conducted in a large oscillating water tunnel. The measurements were aimed at the flow and sediment dynamics in and above an oscillatory boundary layer in plane bed and sheet-flow conditions. Two asymmetric waves and one sinusoidal wave were imposed using quartz sand with D 50 = 0.21 mm. A new electro-resistance probe with a large resolving power was developed for the measurement of the large sediment concentrations in the sheet-flow layer. The measurements revealed a three layer transport system consisting of a pick-up/deposition layer, an upper sheet flow layer and a suspension layer. In the asymmetric wave cases the total net transport was directed “onshore” and was mainly concentrated in the thin sheet flow layer (< 0.5 cm) at the bed. A small net sediment flux was directed “offhore” in the upper suspension layer. The measured flow velocities, sediment concentrations and sedimenl fluxes showed a good qualitative agreement with the results of a (numerical) 1DV boundary-layer flow and transport model. Although the model did not describe all the observed processes in the sheet-flow and suspension layer, the computational results showed a reasonable agreement with measured net transport rates in a wide range of asymmetric wave conditions.