Author(s): Mandana N. Abhari; Marzieh Iranshahi; Masoud Ghodsian; Bahar Firoozabadi

Linked Author(s): Marzieh Iranshahi, Masoud Ghodsian, Bahar Firoozabadi

Keywords: Experimentation; obstacle; suspended load transport rate; turbidity currents; velocity profile

Abstract: The effects of an obstacle on the suspended load transport rate of supercritical turbidity currents were investigated experimentally. A Vectrino velocity meter was used to measure velocity and sediment concentration profiles. The effects of important parameters including inlet discharge, mean inlet sediment concentration and obstacle height on suspended load transport rate were investigated. In the upstream velocity profiles, the obstacle generates the reflected and the interface regions in addition to the wall and the jet regions. The average amount of suspended load transport rate downstream of the obstacle decreases to about 92%. This confirms the depositional behaviour of turbidity current immediately after the obstacle. The suspended load transport rate downstream of the obstacle is proportional to the inlet discharge while it is inversely proportional to the mean inlet sediment concentration and the obstacle height. The suspended load transport rate upstream of the obstacle increases with increase of the obstacle height.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2017.1397778

Year: 2018