Interference processes on scouring at bed sills

The local scouring downstream of bed sills forming a sequence for bed stabilization in steep channels has been investigated in a laboratory flume. The initial bed slopes ranged from 0·078 to 0·148. The bed alluvium was characterised by a non‐uniform grain size distribution. The results show that when the ratio between the critical water depth h_c and the sill spacing L rises above a characteristic value the scouring dynamics become heavily affected by the presence of the downstream sill, associated with the onset of a form of “interference” which renders the scouring process less effective. The difference with an “undisturbed” case is demonstrated. Self‐affinity of scour holes is confirmed and the scour length appears to be the reference parameter from which the scour depth might be evaluated. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel degradation and slope adjustment in steep streams controlled through bed sills

General, parallel and rotational degradation and the effect of bed sills are investigated with the aid of historical field data and laboratory experiments. The case under consideration is a system of two tributaries and a main river in northeast Spain, characterized by its short length, steepness and ephemeral nature. The comparison of bed profiles since 1962 revealed an incision greater than 5·5 m. The main causes of degradation are thought to be channelization (width reduction) and urban growth. The equilibrium slopes with and without sills were obtained in 111 live‐bed flume tests. It is demonstrated that the bed slope is milder with sills than without sills under the same flow and sediment rates. The equations for the calculation of equilibrium slopes, scaled to prototype, are applied to the case‐study, with good agreement. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.     

Real‐time river bed scour monitoring and synchronous maximum depth data collected during Typhoon Soulik in 2013

A critical concern regarding river bed stabilization and river engineering is the short‐term general scour that occurs in a field setting far from a river‐crossing structure or embankment during a typhoon‐induced flood. This study investigated the improvement of existing techniques that have been used to measure river bed scour. One of these techniques is the numbered‐brick column or scour chains method, in which only the maximum general scour depth of river bed is observed. A wireless tracer for monitoring real‐time scour was set‐up with a numbered‐brick column and was employed to collect synchronous data. The proposed method was successfully used to observe both real‐time scour and the maximum depth at flood peak. This observation was conducted at a steep gravel‐bed reach of the Shuideliaw Embankment on the intermittent Choshui River in Central Taiwan during Typhoon Soulik, which occurred in 2013. Future studies must be conducted to complete the development of an automatic real‐time scour and flood monitoring system for use in severe weather and flow conditions; this would facilitate the identification of river bed scour during conditions of unstable flow and the improvement of flood prevention engineering, bridge closure detection and emergency evacuation procedures. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of sill spacing and sediment size grading on scouring at grade‐control structures

Sequences of arti?cial steps are sometimes used to reproduce the natural step–pool morphology of high‐gradient streams. The depth, length and shape of the scour holes in gravel‐bed rivers can be predicted reasonably using recently developed formulae. However, the properties of the scour holes can sometimes be affected by the distance between structures. This effect is called ‘geometrical interference’ and leads to a reduction of the scour hole compared to its potential size. Geometrical interference may occur in sequences of arti?cial steps in high‐gradient torrents, where structures are sometimes built at distances of a few tens of metres apart, but may also apply to natural step–pool systems. In this paper, a series of tests have been conducted to determine the effect of bed sill spacing and sediment grading on the potential erosion by jets forming over the sills. A new formula is derived, applicable to high‐gradient streams (slope > 0·04), which can be applied to the special case of scour holes developed by interfering sills. Sediment size gradation, not accounted for in previous formulae, is found to have a signi?cant effect on the scour dimensions and is included in the new predictive formula. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.