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Chapter 3 - Bed Load Estimation

This chapter discusses methods for estimating bed load sediment transport rates in rivers. It describes the basic modes of particle motion that occur during bed load transport. It also discusses different units used to express sediment transport rates and relationships between them. The chapter then presents several empirical formulas developed by researchers like Einstein, Meyer-Peter, Nielsen, and Van Rijn to calculate bed load transport rates based on parameters like flow velocity, depth, bed slope, and sediment grain size. Finally, it provides examples of applying these different formulas to calculate bed load rates for given hydraulic and sediment conditions in river channels.

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150 views25 pages

Chapter 3 - Bed Load Estimation

This chapter discusses methods for estimating bed load sediment transport rates in rivers. It describes the basic modes of particle motion that occur during bed load transport. It also discusses different units used to express sediment transport rates and relationships between them. The chapter then presents several empirical formulas developed by researchers like Einstein, Meyer-Peter, Nielsen, and Van Rijn to calculate bed load transport rates based on parameters like flow velocity, depth, bed slope, and sediment grain size. Finally, it provides examples of applying these different formulas to calculate bed load rates for given hydraulic and sediment conditions in river channels.

Uploaded by

Tesfaye Negasa
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CHAPTER THREE

BED LOAD ESTIMATION


- When the bed shear stress exceeds a critical value, sediments are
transported in the form of bed load and suspended load. For bed-
load transport, the basic modes of particle motion are rolling
motion, sliding motion and saltation motion
Sediment transport rate
- The sediment transport rate may be measured by weight (units:
N/s), by mass (units: kg/s) or by volume (units: m3/s). In practice
the sediment transport rate is often expressed by metre width
and is measured either by mass or by volume. These are related
by:

Where s is the mass sediment flow rate per unit width, qs is the
volumetric sediment discharge per unit width and is the
specific mass of sediment.
EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS OF BED-LOAD TRANSPORT
RATE
Empirical and semi-empirical correlations of bed-
load transport
Einstein (1942)

Meyer-Peter (1945; 1951)


Bed-load transport rate: comparison between Meyer-Peter formula,
Einstein calculation and laboratory data
BED-LOAD CALCULATIONS
- Bed-load transport is closely associated
with inter-granular forces. It takes place in
a thin region of fluid close to the bed
(sometimes called bed-load layer or
saltation layer). Visual observations
suggest that the bed-load particles move
within a region of less than 10–20
particle-diameter height.
Bed-load transport rate
- Physically the transport rate is related to the
characteristics of the bed-load layer: its mean sediment
concentration Cs, its thickness δs which is equivalent to
the average saltation height measured normal to the bed
and the average speed Vs of sediment moving along the
plane bed.

- Note that the volumetric sediment concentration has


maximum value. For rounded grains, the maximum
Bed-load transport rate calculations

Nielsen(1992)

Van Rijn (1984;1993)


Application No. 1
The bed-load transport rate is to be estimated for a
given river at a particular cross-section. The known
hydraulic data are flow rate of about 530 m3/s, flow
depth of 4.27 m and bed slope being about 0.0011. The
channel bed is a sediment mixture with a median grain
size of 0.012 m and the channel width is about 34 m.

Predict the sediment-load rate using the following methods:


- Meyer-Peter
- Einstein
- Nielsen and
- Van Rijn methods.
Approach No. 3: Bed load calculation using Nielsen’s
formula
Approach No. 4: Bed load calculation using van Rijn’s Formula
Application No. 2
A wide stream has a depth of 0.6 m and the bed
slope is 0.0008. The bed consists of a mixture of
heavy particles (ρs =2980 kg/m3) with a median
particle size d50 =950μm.

Compute the sediment-load rate using the following methods:


- Meyer-Peter
- Einstein
- Nielsen and
- Van Rijn methods.
Application No. 3
Measurements were performed on a river at a location
where the river is 18 m wide. Hydraulic measurements
indicated that the flow depth was 0.83m, the depth-
averaged velocity was 3.06 m/s and the bed slope was
sinϴ=0.0077. The channel bed is a sediment mixture
with a median grain size of 15 mm and d84 =55mm.
Predict the sediment-load rate using the following methods:
- Meyer-Peter
- Einstein
- Nielsen and
- Van Rijn methods.

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