EMPIRICAL-NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF HEADCUT MIGRATION

1INTRODUCTION A headcut is a vertical or near-vertical drop or discontinuity on the channel bed of a stream,rill or gully,at which a free overfall flow often occurs,as shown in Fig.1.A headcut is usually eroded by the action of hydraulic stress,basal sapping,weathering,or the combination of these processes.Headcut erosion can accelerate soil loss,increase sediment yields in streams,damage earthen spillways,and disturb bank stability.Therefore,the prediction of headcut migration is a very …     

HYDROLOGICALLY DRIVEN MECHANISMS OF HEADCUT DEVELOPMENT

An analytic investigation of the effect of surface seal mechanical properties, overland flow, and subsurface hydrology was performed on headcut development. Headcut growth rates on upland areas have been observed to be quite small （less than 0.00015 meter per second） and that they occur in increments in which chips break off at points where cracks have developed in surface seals. The substrate soil under the seal collapses and is removed by the flow. This mode of headcut development is the result of a strong interaction between the surface and the subsurface processes. The surface process is energetically controlled by the mechanical features of the seal whereas the subsurface process is hydrologically controlled. The analysis yields estimates of the temporal scale of headcut velocities. In cases of infiltration from the vertical gully wall into the substrate, the flexural wave velocity （seismic sound velocity） was found to inversely affect headcut velocity.     

OVERVIEW OF DAM GULLY EROSION RESEARCH

Traditionally gully erosion has been identified with the dissection of the landscape in agricultural settings but it is also recognized as a prevalent erosion feature in earthen dam auxiliary spillways and embankments. Flows through earthen spillways and over dam embankments, due to large rainfall events, have the potential to erode and breach the dam or spillway and result in catastrophic releases from the reservoir. The gully erosion process in an earthen spillway or on an embankment can be characterized by stages of initiation, development, and migration of a headcut. A headcut is defmed as a near vertical drop at the upstream end of a gully. The rate of headcut migration is important in determining the breach potential of an earthen spillway and dam embankment. A research program is being conducted to examine the gully erosion processes of earthen dam auxiliary spillways and embankments. This paper describes： l ） the unique test facilities constructed to examine the dominant factors affecting the erosion of earthen spillways and embankments; 2） the observations of the erosion processes and results to date; and 3） the predictive relationships that have been developed for dam gully erosion research at the ARS Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit laboratory in Stillwater, OK.     

Laboratory experiments on the influence of slope length on runoff,percolation and rill development

Experiments to test relationships between slope length, percolation, and runoff were carried out in a laboratory flume under simulated rainfall at intensities from 24·2-26 mm h^?1. A composite soil subject to sealing was mixed from a clay and a sand and tested on 2·39 m, 7·18 m, and 17 m slopes for a minimum of 200 min. Runoff discharge is not a simple function of rainfall excess and slope length but shows a complex pattern dominated by surface sealing, rill development and headcut incision. Rill development by concentrated surface wash conformed to established threshold hydraulic conditions, but subsequent headcut incision was necessary to breach the seal and significantly affect percolation/runoff ratios. Headcut evolution is complex, apparently reflecting hydraulic instability and possibly different stages in seal development. Headcut and rill incision shows a cyclic pattern interspersed with broad areas of sheetwash and colluvial deposition where percolation rates are very low.     

PROCESSES OF HEADCUT GROWTH AND MIGRATION IN RILLS AND GULLIES

lINTRoDUCTIONHeadcuterosionwithinrills,ephemeralguIlies,classicgullies,andstreamscausesseriousenvironmentalproblems.Headcuterosionacceleratesthelossoftopsoilanddecreasestheproductivityofagriculturallands.Erodedsedimentsoftenendupinreceivingstreams,causingwaterqualityproblemsandnegativelyimpactingbioIogicalprocesses.Inadditiontolandscapedegradation,gulliesarethedominantformofdamagetoearthspillways.lfagullycanmovethroughanearthspillwayandbreachthecrestofadam,thentheimpoundedfloodwaterswiI1…