Incipient Motion of Gravel Bedload Considering the Secondary Flow in Bend

Abstract

The transport of gravel bedload in river bend is one of the basic problems of river dynamics. However, both the complicated bend flow structure and the stochastic bedload transport make explaining the problem theoretically difficult. Flow is the power of the bedload transport, so obtaining the precise theoretical flow structure is fundamental. Through considering the velocity-dip phenomenon and giving the matched boundary conditions, we have obtained the completed three-dimensional bend flow structure in the previous study. Combining the flow structure and the influences of the two-way exposure, we did further research on the incipient motion of the gravel bedload in bend in this paper. It turns out that, because of the existence of the secondary flow, the particle in bend forced by both the longitude and the transverse velocities in the plane. The two-way velocities form an intersection angle which influences the incipient velocity and direction of the particle movement. Moreover, the non-uniform distribution of the bend flow structure along the cross-section decides the differences of the intersection angle, incipient velocity, transport speed of the bedload in the bed surface. Then, the above differences result in the change of the sediment gradation and partition behaviour of the bedload transport.