FLUVIAL HYDRAULICS

Saran Canal, Bihar

INTRODUCTION

 Fluvial Hydraulics: Science that deals with mechanics of sediment

transport.

 The bed of a river channel generally consists of non-cohesive sediment

(i.e., silt, sand, and gravel) and such rivers are called alluvial channels.

 Sediment (also known as alluviam) is defined as the loose and non-

cohesive material through which a river flows. Sediment is also defined as
fragmental material transported by, suspended in, or deposited by water or
air, or accumulated in the beds by other natural agents.

 A channel flowing through sediment and transporting some of it with the

flowing water is called an Alluvial channel.

 Any phenomenon associated with alluvial river is associated with

(a) channel characteristics
(b) Flow characteristics
(c) Fluid properties
(d) Sediment Properties
 Sediment Properties
• Individual properties: size, shape, fall velocity, mineral composition,
orientation, surface texture

• Bulk properties: size gradation, unit weight, angle of repose, porosity

Gravel : 2 - 64 mm
Sand : 1/16 – 2 mm
Silt : 1/256 - 1/16 mm

• Particle size gradation

 .

Fall velocity of spherical particles (relative density = 2.65 ) in water

 INCIPIENT MOTION OF SEDIMENT
• Consider the case of flow of clear water in an open channel of a given slope
with a movable bed of non-cohesive material. At low discharges, the bed
material remains stationary and, hence, the channel can be treated as rigid.
• With the increase in discharge, a stage will come when the shear force
exerted by the flowing water on a particle will just exceed the force opposing
the movement of the particle.
• At this stage, a few particles of the bed move intermittently. This condition is
called the incipient motion condition or, simply, the critical condition.
• A knowledge of flow at the incipient motion condition is useful in fixing slope
or depth for clear water flow in an alluvial channel.
• The experimental data on incipient motion condition have been analysed by
different investigators using one of the following three approaches:
a) Competent velocity approach
b) Lift force approach, and
c) Critical tractive force approach
Critical Tractive Force Approach

Drag force 1
F 1 K1C D d 2  ud2
2

Submerged weight F 2 K 2 d 3  s   g

ud u y
• For turbulent flow (smooth bed)  5.75 log10 *  5.5
u* 

 f1  *   f1 R * 
• Thus ud u y
u*   

C D  f 2  d   f 3  *   f 3 R * 
u y u y
     

• Now F 1 K1  f 3 R *
d 2

1 2
2
u* f 1R 
* 2

1
2
 
K1  f 3 R * d 2  u*2 f1 R *   K 2 d 3  S   g
2
 u*2c
f Rc* 
2K2

 s   gd K1
• The critical tractive stress is the average shear stress acting on the bed of a
channel at which the sediment particles just begin to move.
Shield expressed

 c*  f ( Rc* )

u*2c u*d
 
*
Rc* 
(  s   ) gd 
c

• Explicit equation for c

c 0.06d *2
 0.243 
  2 
1/ 3
(3600  d *2 )1 / 2
 s g  

 s g

d
d* 
(  2 /  s g )1 / 3
SHIELDS CURVE
For specific case of water (at 20C) and the sediment of specific gravity 2.65

0.409d 2
 c  0.155 
(1  0.177d 2 )1 / 2
c in N/m2 and d in mm.

REGIMES OF FLOW

a) Plane bed with no motion of sediment particles,

b) Ripples and dunes,

c) Transition, and

d) Antidunes
 RIPPLES PLANE BED WITH SEDIMENT MOTION

STANDING WAVES

DUNES

WASHED OUT DUNES ANTIDUNES

 TRANSPORT OF SEDIMENT

• When the average shear stress on the bed of an alluvial channel exceeds
the critical shear, the sediment particles start moving in different ways
depending on the flow condition, sediment size, fluid and sediment
densities, and the channel condition.
• At relatively low shear stresses, the particles roll or slide along the bed. The
particles remain in continuous contact with the bed and the movement is
generally discontinuous. Sediment material transported in this manner is
termed contact load.
• On increasing the shear stress, some sediment particles lose contact with
the bed for some time, and ‘hop’ or ‘bounce’. The sediment particles moving
in this manner fall into the category of saltation load. This mode of transport
is significant only in case of non-cohesive materials of relatively high fall
velocities such as sand in air and, to a lesser extent, gravel in water.
• Since saltation load is significant in case of flow of water and also because
it is difficult to distinguish between saltation load and contact load, the two
are grouped together and termed bed load, which is transported on or near
the bed.
 Transport of sediment

• With further increase in the shear stress, the particles may go in suspension
and remain so due to the turbulent fluctuations. The particles in suspension
move downstream. Such sediment material is included in the suspended
load.
• The material for bed load as well as a part of the suspended load originates
from the bed of the channel and, hence, both are grouped together and
termed bed-material load.
• Wash load: Suspension load originated from the catchment and not from
the bed and side of the channel.
 Modes Of Sediment Movement

 0 > c
Rolling Sliding
Contact load

Bed load

Hopping or Bouncing
Saltation load

In suspension

Suspended load
 Transport of sediment
Bed load
Meyer-Peter & Muller method

B  8( *'  0.047) 3 / 2

qB
B 
 s g 3 / 2 d a3 / 2  s 
qB  N/m/s ; bed load per unit width

 o'
 
'

 s gd a
*

d a  arithmetic mean size of sediment

1 '2 / 3 1/ 2
  R' S
'
o U R S
ns
d 1/ 6
ns  ; d in m
25.6
 Transport of sediment
Suspended load

Engelund equation

4
qs 5  u* 
 5.10  10  
 fq  wo 

qs  aq b
 Transport of sediment
Total bed load

Engelund & Hansen equation

fT  0.4 *5 / 2
qT
T 
 s
s g d
3/ 2 3/ 2

8u*2
f  2
U
f
u*  U u*  gRS
8
8 gRS
f 
U2
qT in N/m/s
 REGIME THEORY & DESIGN OF STABLE CHANNELS

• Regime methods for the design of stable channels were first developed by
the British engineers working for canal irrigation in India in the nineteenth
century.

• They studied the behaviour of such stretches of the existing canals where
the bed was in a state of stable equilibrium. The stable reaches has not
required any sediment clearance for several years of the canal operation.
Such channels were called regime channels.

• These channels generally carried a sediment load smaller than 500 ppm.
Suitable relationships for the velocity of flow in regime channels were
evolved. These relationships are now known as regime equations.
 Kennedy’s Theory
• R.G. Kennedy – Executive Engineer, Punjab Irrigation (1895)
• Stable, non-silting, non-scouring channels.
• Upper Bari Doab canal system
• Sediment in suspension solely by the vertical component of eddies
generated by bed width
• Critical Velocity
Vo = 0.55 h0.64 (for sandy soil) Design
Known : Q, n, S, m
General equation of Kennedy
V = 0.55 m h0.64 Equation : V = 0.55 h0.64
Q = (A/n) R2/3S1/2
m = critical velocity ratio
To be fixed: b & h
Coarse sand m = 1.1 – 1.2
Fine sand m = 0.8 – 0.9

Recommended values of B/h for stable channels

Q(m3/s) 5.0 10.0 15.0 50.0 100.0 200.0 300.0
B/h 4.5 5.0 6.0 9.0 12.0 15.0 18.0
 Lacey’s Theory
• Gerald Lacey – Chief Engineer (Civil), UP Irrigation
• Lacey stated that the dimensions width, depth, and slope of a regime
channel to carry a given water discharge loaded with a given sediment
discharge are all fixed by nature. According to him, the fundamental
requirements for a channel to be in regime are as follows:
a) The channel flows uniformly in incoherent alluvium. Incoherent alluvium
is the loose granular material which can scour or deposit with the same
ease. The material may range from very fine sand to gravel, pebbles,
and boulders of small size.
b) The characteristics and the discharge of the sediment are constant.
c) The water discharge in the channel is constant.

• In case of rigid banks, the width is not widened but the slope becomes
steeper. Lacey termed this regime as the initial regime.
Fundamental equations
2
V  fR
5
V  10.8R 2 / 3 S 1 / 3
Af 2  140V 5
R  Hydraulic mean depth (hydraulic radius)
Derived equations
P  4.75 Q
 Qf 2 
1/ 6 Silt factor f  1.76 d
V    d  median size of sediment (mm)
 140 
f 5/ 3
S
3340Q 1 / 6
1/ 3
Q 
Scour depth R *  0.473 
f
1/ 3
 q2 
R  1.35 
*

 f 
Design Procedure
Known : Discharge Q, sediment size, d

1/ 6
 Qf 2 
V   
 140 
Q
A
V
5V2
R
2 f
P  4.75 Q
 y
A  b   y
 2
P  b  5y

Solve for bed width b, depth of flow h, and bed slope S

 Detailing of .the Canal

FREEBOARD
A minimum freeboard of 0.5 m for Q < 10 cumecs and
0.75 m for Q > 10 cumecs

Bank Top Width

 .
HYDRAULIC GRADIENT

For silty soils 4:1

For silty sand 5:1
For sandy soils 6:1

CURVES IN CANALS
 .
CANAL PARTIAL IN CUTTING AND PARTLY IN FILLING

CANAL FULLY IN FILLING

 .

CANAL FULLY IN CUTTING

 Side Slopes .

Canal in filling 1V:1.5H

Canals in cutting 1:1 to 1:1.5

Berms

Canal is partly in cutting and partly in filling

Berm - kept at natural surface level
=width equal to 2 D ; where D is the full supply depth.
Canal is in filling;
The berm may be kept at the full supply level equal to 3 D in width
Canal is completely in cutting
The berm may be kept at the full supply level equal to C+D/2 in width

Dowel
Top width = 0.5 m,
Height above road level = 0.5 m and
Side slopes 1:1.5 shall be provided on the service road side between the
road and the canal
 .

Borrow pits

Turfing

Spoil banks
 .
L-section of canal

Longitudinal scale: 1:10000

Vertical scale: 1:100
.