1D SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MORPHODYNAMICS

with applications to
RIVERS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
© Gary Parker November, 2004

CHAPTER 12:
BULK RELATIONS FOR TRANSPORT OF TOTAL BED MATERIAL LOAD

Sediment-laden meltwater emanating from a glacier in Iceland. The flow

is from top to bottom. The flow to the left is braided, whereas that to
the right is meandering. Image courtesy F. Engelund and J. Fredsoe. 1
 1D SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MORPHODYNAMICS
with applications to
RIVERS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
© Gary Parker November, 2004

QUANTIFICATION OF TOTAL BED MATERIAL LOAD

The total bed material load is equal to the sum of the bedload and the bed material
part of the suspended load; in terms of volume transport per unit width, qt = qb + qs.
Here wash load, i.e. that part of the suspended load that is too fine to be
contained in measurable quantities in the river bed, is excluded from qs. Total bed
material load is quantified in various ways in addition to qt

Flux-based volume concentration Ct = qt/(qt + qw)

Flux-based mass concentration Xt = sqt/(sqt + qw)

Flux-based mass concentration in parts per million = Xt106

Concentration in milligrams per liter = sqt/(qt + qw)106, where qt and qw are in m2/s
and s is in tons/m3.

In the great majority of cases of interest qt/qw << 1, so that the concentration in
milligrams per liter is accurately approximated by the mass concentration in parts2
per million.
 1D SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MORPHODYNAMICS
with applications to
RIVERS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
© Gary Parker November, 2004

RELATION OF ENGELUND AND HANSEN (1967)

A variety of relations are available for the prediction of bulk total bed material load.
Most of them are based on the regression of large amounts of data. Five such
relations are reported here. Although the data bases for some of them include
gravel, they are not designed for gravel-bed streams. As such, their use should be
restricted to sand-bed streams.

Perhaps the simplest of these relations is that due to Engelund and Hansen (1967).
It takes the form
0.05  5 / 2
qt  ( )
Cf
where
 qt  b u2
q 
t ,   
RgD50 D50 RgD50 RgD50

The relation is designed to be used in conjunction with the formulation of

hydraulic resistance of Engelund and Hansen (1967) presented in Chapter 9.
Brownlie (1981) has found the relation to perform very well for field sand-bed 3
streams.
 1D SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MORPHODYNAMICS
with applications to
RIVERS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
© Gary Parker November, 2004

RELATION OF BROWNLIE (1981)

The formulation of Brownlie (1981) can be expressed as:
1 Xt
qt  qw
(R  1) (1  X t )
3
X t  7.115  10 c F Û  Ûc   1.978
S0.6601 Ĥ0.3301

U H
Û  , Ĥ 
RgD50 D50

  0.6 ( 7.7 Re p0.6 )

 0.5293
Ûc  4.596 (  )
c S 0.1405
 0.1606
g
  0.22 Re
c p  0.06  10

In the above relations g is the geometric standard deviation of the bed sediment
and cF takes the value of 1 for laboratory conditions and 1.268 for field conditions.
The relation is designed to be used in conjunction with the Brownlie (1981)
formulation for hydraulic resistance. 4
 1D SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MORPHODYNAMICS
with applications to
RIVERS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
© Gary Parker November, 2004

RELATION OF YANG (1973)

The formulation of Yang (1973; see also 1996) can be expressed as:
1 Xt
qt  qw
(R  1) (1  X t )
u 
og10 ( X t  10 6 )  5.435  0.286 og10 (R f Re p )  0.457 og10    
 vs 
  u   US Uc S 
1 . 799  0 . 409 og10 (R f Re p )  0 . 314 og 
10 

  og 
10   
  v s   vs vs 

 2.5 uD50 vs
  0 . 66 , 1 . 2   70 Rf 
Uc  og10   50   0.06
uD  RgD50
   
vs  RgD50 D50
uD Rep 
 2.05 , 70   50
  
In the above relations vs is the fall velocity associated with sediment size D50. 5
 1D SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MORPHODYNAMICS
with applications to
RIVERS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
© Gary Parker November, 2004

RELATION OF ACKERS AND WHITE (1973)

The formulation of Ackers and White (1973) can be expressed as:
1 Xt
qt  qw
(R  1) (1  X t )
m 1n
R 1  Fgr   1 
Xt  (Cz)n Caw   1  1n
Fgr   (Cz)   
Ĥ  A aw  
 32 og10 (10 Ĥ) 

n
 
1.00  0.56 og10 Re p2 / 3 , 1  Re p2 / 3  60
 0 , 60  Re p2 / 3
 9.66
 2 / 3  1.34 , 1  Re p  60
2/3
U H
m  Re p Cz  , Ĥ 
 1.50 , 60  Re p2 / 3 u D50

0.23 Re p1/ 3  0.14 , 1  Re p2 / 3  60
A aw  
 0.17 , 60  Re p2 / 3
2.86 og10 ( Re p2 / 3 )  [og10 ( Re p2 / 3 )]2  3.53 , 1  Re p2 / 3  60
og10Caw  
  1.60 , 60  Re p2 / 3 6
 1D SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MORPHODYNAMICS
with applications to
RIVERS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
© Gary Parker November, 2004

RELATIONS OF KARIM AND KENNEDY (1981) AND KARIM (1998)

The formulation of Karim and Kennedy (1981) can be expressed as:
       
og10 
qt   2.2786  2.9719 og10  U   1.0600 og10  U  og10  u  uc 
 RgD D   RgD   RgD   RgD 
 50 50   50   50   50 
 H   u  uc 

 0.2989 og10  
 og10  
 D50   RgD 
 50 

where u*c can be evaluated from Brownlie’s (1981) fit to the original Shields curve:
  0. 6 ( 7.7 Re p 0.6 ) R gD D
  0.22 Re
c p  0.06  10 , Re p 

The above relation may be used in conjunction with their relation for hydraulic
resistance presented in Chapter 9. Karim (1998) also presents a total bed material
load equation that is fractionated for mixtures;
2.97 1.47
qti  U   u 
 0.00139     i
Fai RgDi Di  
 RgDi   v si  Fai 
 Fi / Di 
n

 D 
i  C1 i 
C2
v  v 
, C1  1.15 s50  , C2  0.60 s50 
  Fi / Di 
i1 7
 D50   u   u 
 1D SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MORPHODYNAMICS
with applications to
RIVERS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
© Gary Parker November, 2004

REFERENCES FOR CHAPTER 12

Ackers, P. and White, W. R., 1973, Sediment transport: new approach and analysis, Journal of
Hydraulic Engineering, 99(11), 2041-2060.
Brownlie, W. R., 1981, Prediction of flow depth and sediment discharge in open channels, Report
No. KH-R-43A, W. M. Keck Laboratory of Hydraulics and Water Resources, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA, 232 p.
Engelund, F. and E. Hansen, 1967, A Monograph on Sediment Transport in Alluvial Streams,
Technisk Vorlag, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Karim, F., 1998, Bed material discharge prediction for nonuniform bed sediments, Journal of
Hydraulic Engineering, 124(6): 597-604.
Karim, F., and J. F. Kennedy, 1981, Computer-based predictors for sediment discharge and
friction factor of alluvial streams, Report No. 242, Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Yang, C. T., 1973, Incipient motion and sediment transport, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering,
99(10), 1679-1704.
Yang, C. T., 1996, Sediment Transport Theory and Practice, McGraw-Hill, USA, 396 p.