1

So What do we need to know

Flow types
Flow processes
How these control sediment movement or control/influence
sedimentation
How these are represented in the rock record

To begin: What forces control the behavior of fluids:
Inertial forces
Gravitational forces
Viscous forces
2
3
Fluid (def): Cannot withstand any tendency by a deviatoric
stress to deform it (i.e., has no strength)

Gas loose configuration of molecules - AIR

Liquid tighter configuration of molecules. Can form a free surface. -
WATER
Properties of Fluid relevant to the study of sediment transport
= density, mass per unit fluid volume
water vs. air larger particles by water
= dynamic viscosity (a measure of the internal friction of a
fluid) has units of stress/strain rate Pa/(1/t) = Ns/m
2
= Pas
suppress turbulence erosion and entrainment
Sediment Transport and Fluid Flow
4
s
m
m kg
ms kg
2
3
= =

u
Air ~ 10
-5
Pas
Water (20C) = 10
-3
Pas
Ice ~ 10
10
Pas
Air ~ 1 kg/m
3
Water ~ 10
3
kg/m
3
Ice ~ 10
3
kg/m
3
Properties of Flow relevant to the study of sediment transport
U L = scale velocity = scale length
Kinematic viscosity

5
6
Reynolds Number
Difference in laminar and turbulent flow arise from the
ratio of INERTIAL FORCES to VISCOUS FORCES

INERTIAL FORCES are related to the scale of velocity
of fluids in motion and cause turbulence

VISCOUS FORCES increase with increasing
VISCOSITY of the fluid and resist deformation of a
fluid and suppresses turbulence


Re =
U L
u
Inertial Force
Viscous Forces

7
8
Reynolds Number

Re <1 Laminar flow: stable to small disturbances
Re >> 1 Turbulent flow: unstable to small disturbances, stretching and
twisting

In nature you always have disturbances,
question is when do they decay versus grow?

Re < 500 laminar
Re > 500 turbulent (Dominant style for natural flows of water and air.)
Laminar flow (in pipe)
Stable condition: Perturbations to
the flow decay with time.
Turbulent flow (in pipe)
Perturbations grow with time.
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Froude Number
The ratio between INERTIAL and GRAVITY FORCES is the
Froude Number.

In addition to the effects of fluid VISCOSITY and INERTIAL
FORCES, GRAVITY also plays a role in fluid flow because
GRAVITY influence the way in the fluid transmit surface waves.

Boundary between a number less than 1 and more than 1 marks
change in flow TRANQUIL to RAPID




Fr =
U
g L
Inertial Force
Gravitational Forces
10
Froude number:

applicable to all flows having a free surface.



Fr < 1 waves can propagate both upstream and downstream, Tranquil (calm)
flow.
Fr > 1 wave cannot propagate upstream, Shooting flow
Fr = 1 hydraulic jump, all upstream propagating waves are stuck here
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Important definition:


t
b
=
def
u
*
2
= Boundary shear stress


t
b


u
*


t
b
=
Force applied by moving fluid to bed
Area
bed
C
d
= hydraulic drag coefficient
(this coefficient is a complicated function of system properties)



t
b
=
def
u
*
2
=
def
C
d
u
2
Boundary shear stress can be related to
the mean flow velocity, <u>.
= Shear velocity
12
Basic Simplifying Assumption: Boundary shear stress, t
b
,
characterizes near bed conditions for sediment transport.
Key connections between solid and fluid phase
1. 2.


t
b
= boundary shear stress


u
*
= shear velocity
Flow Properties:


t
cr
= critical shear stress


w
s
= particle fall velocity
Is associated with Initial Motion:
Definition: Movement of a significant number of particles
Terminal velocity of falling particle
Sediment Properties:
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Wiberg and Smith (1985)
Critical Shear Stress, t
cr
:
Near-bed conditions associated with the initial motion of a particular
grain size are characterized by t
cr
.

Critical shear stress is often presented in the dimensionless form
t
*
= t
cr
/[(
s
-)gD]

Values for t
cr
are typically
recorded on a Shields Diagram
t
cr
> t
b

(Boundary Reynolds Number)
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Settling velocities calculated assuming
1) density of quartz
2) Water temp = 20C
3) Grain Shape: Spheroid
4) Grain Roundness = subrounded
Particle settles at constant speed when the
gravitational force is exactly balanced by
the sum of resistance forces.

This constant speed = settling velocity or
fall velocity of the particle.
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Once the critical shear stress is exceeded the grains begin to
move by: 1. rolling, 2. sliding, or 3. saltation.
a. Saltation = bedload
b. Modified saltation
c. Full suspension
b
t
increasing
Analysis of experimental data yields the following useful
criteria:
1.Pure Bedload:
b
>
cr
& w
s
/u
*
> 3
2.Suspension: w
s
/u
*
1
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Properties of Saltation in Water

1. Hop Height < 10 particle diameters
2. Hop Length < 100 particle diameters
3. Grain Velocity < Fluid flow velocity
Saltating Particle
(series of short hops)
Photograph of wind-borne
motion of sand and silt in
saltation and suspension
Chepil (1945)
Saltation
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Suspended-sediment transport
Properties of Suspension Trajectory

1.Trajectory Height < flow depth
2.Trajectory Length >> particle diameter
3.Grain Velocity Fluid flow velocity
18
Smith, J.D., 1999, Flow and suspended-
sediment transport in the Colorado River
near National Canyon, in Webb, R.H.,
Schmidt, J.C., Marzolf, G.R., and Valdez,
R.A., eds., The Controlled Flood in
Grand Canyon, Volume 110: American
Geophysical Union Geophysical
Monograph, p. 71-98.
Suspended Sediment Concentration Profiles
Notice volume of fluid >> volume of suspended sand
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z
y
z
s s s s
u q o c > >< =< Sediment discharge per unit width:
Values for the following mean quantities are required in order to calculate
rates of sediment transport:
1) o
s
= average thickness of sediment transport layer
2) <u
s
> = average velocity of moving sediment
3) <c
s
> = average volume concentration of moving sediment
Calculating of rates of sediment transport.
Sediment discharge per unit width
or Volume flux of sediment
= {(V <c
s
>) <u
s
>} / A
and has unit of Length
2
/Time