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Artificial Reproduction of the Surface Structure in a Gravel Bed

Author(s): Spiller Stephan; Ruther Nils; Baumann Benjamin

Linked Author(s): Nils Rüther

Keywords: No Keywords

Abstract: Sediment transport experiments are performed by a number of institutes, mostly related to hydraulic engineering. Results are usually comparable in a statistical way, but hardly reproducible, since the initial conditions will never be the exact same for different experimental setups. To solve this problem, it is possible to manufacture several artificial copies of a naturally developed streambed that can be transported to any location for further research. Hence, several institutes with different facilities or divergent research interests can work on the exact same channel bed and therefore compare and merge their results for a broader investigation. A highly promising technique to reproduce the surface structure in a gravel bed has been performed, using a liquid two-component silicone rubber to manufacture a negative imprint of the stream bed. Subsequently, a two-componen pouring resin forms an almost exact copy of the origina gravel bed using the silicone form. The flexible silicone creates a true three-dimensional copy of the original bed structure. Protruded particles are almost fully enclosed and even smaller, partially hidden particles are entirely repro duced in the final cast. This method was just recently used to move the surface structure of an armor layer experiment from the Leichtwei? -Institute for Hydraulic Engineering in Braunschweig (Germany), to the Department of Marine Technology at NTNU in Trondheim (Norway). The aim for the further experiments at those facilities is to estimate the physical effects of flow fluctuations over an armored riverbed, regarding coherent turbulent structures with a PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) system. First insights in this study are presented.

DOI:

Year: 2012

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