Influence of decelerating flow on incipient motion of a gravel-bed stream

Abstract

An experimental study on incipient motion of gravel-bed streams under steady-decelerating flow is presented. Experiments were carried out in a flume with two median grain sizes, d₅₀ = 16.7 mm for a fixed-bed case and d₅₀ = 8 mm for a mobile bed case. In addition, an effort is made to determine a simplified method for the estimation of bed shear stress in decelerating flow over fixed and mobile beds for use in field situations. From the observation of eleven fixed-bed and nine mobile-bed velocity profiles, it is revealed that the parabolic law method (PLM) and the Reynolds stress method are comparable for estimation of shear velocity in general. Also, the results show that the shear stress distribution adopts a convex form over fixed and mobile beds. Due to this form the critical Shields parameter value for decelerating flow is less than the reported values in literature. This paper supports Buffington & Montgomery (1997) statement that less emphasis should be given on choosing a universal shields parameter, and more emphasis should be given on choosing defendable values based on flow structure.