Author(s): J. L. Wuebben; G. R. Alger; R. J. Hodek
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Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: A demonstration program of extended winter navigation is presently being conducted on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system. As part of this program, studies have been initiated on the St. Marys River, the connecting channel between Lakes Superior and Huron, to study the effects of large vessel passage on sediment transport when a substantial ice cover is present. This paper examines the hydrodynamics of vessel passage through a restricted channel and the resulting potential for sediment translocation. Examples of field measurements are presented which show a complex pattern of changes in water current magnitude and direction. The constriction of the channel by a ship creates a drop in the water surface that travels with the ship. The application of the concepts of effective stress and upward seepage forces to the riverbed material predicts that the potential for sediment translocation increases upon the passage of this moving trough. Three modes of granular bottom sediment transport were observed: bed load, saltation, and a process referred to as explosive liquefaction.
Year: 1978