Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Incipient motion for gravel particles in clay-silt-gravel cohesive mixtures

  • Physical and Ecological Aspects of Mobile Sediments
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Incipient motion plays an instrumental role in understanding various aspects of sediment transport, such as river bed aggradation and degradation, channel design, bank erosion, scour around bridge piers, and water quality issues.

Materials and methods

Experiments were conducted to study the incipient motion of gravel particles in three types of bed material, i.e., gravels only, silt-gravel mixture, and clay-silt-gravel mixture. The clay content varied from 10 to 50% in the clay-silt-gravel mixture while silt and gravel were in equal proportion by weight. Samples were taken out from the prepared cohesive bed for the determination of their bulk density, unconfined compressive strength, and water content. The incipient motion was observed visually, which corresponded to the beginning of movement of gravel particles in the mixture. The shear stress corresponding to incipient motion was computed using measured flow depth and slope of water surface. The physical appearance of the top layer of cohesive bed was observed visually at the end of experiment.

Results and discussion

The effects of clay content, water content, unconfined compressive strength, and bulk density of the mixture on the critical shear stress were investigated using the data collected in this study on clay-silt-gravel mixture along with the data from previous studies. A relationship is proposed for the computation of critical shear stress of gravel particles in the cohesive mixtures. The physical appearance of the top surface of the bed for clay-silt-gravel mixture has also been investigated with varying percentages of clay content in the mixture.

Conclusions

High clay percentage significantly increased the critical shear stress. The presence of silt lowers the critical shear stress especially when there is low clay content (up to 20%) in the mixture. The clay content along with the bulk density was found to be the dominant parameters that affect the incipient motion of the gravel particles in the cohesive mixtures. The proposed relationship for critical shear stress was found to be in good agreement with the observed ones.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aberle J, Nikora V (2006) Statistical properties of armored gravel bed surfaces. Water Resour Res 42:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmad MF, Dong P, Mamat M, Nik WBW, Mohd MH (2011) The critical shear stresses for sand and mud mixture. Appl Math Sci 5:53–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Ansari SA, Kothyari UC, RangaRaju KG (2007) Incipient motion characteristics of cohesive sediments. ISH J Hydraul Eng 13:108–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D2487 (2011) Standard practice for classification of soils for engineering purposes (unified soil classification system). ASTM International, West Conshohocken. https://doi.org/10.1520/D2487-11

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bridge JS, Bennett SJ (1992) A model for the entrainment and transport of sediment grains of mixed sizes, shapes, and densities. Water Resour Res 28:337–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brownlie WR (1981) Prediction of flow depth and sediment discharge. Report No. KH-R-43A, W. M. Keck Laboratory of Hydraulics and Water Resources, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

  • Buffington JM, Montgomery DR (1997) A systematic analysis of eight decades of incipient motion studies, with special reference to gravel-bedded rivers. Water Resour Res 33:1993–2029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bunte K, Abt SR, Swingle KW, Potyondy JP (2010) Bankfull mobile particle size and its prediction from a Shields-type approach. In: 2nd Joing Federal Interagency Conference, Las Vegas, NV

  • Cao Z, Pender G, Meng J (2006) Explicit formulation of the Shields diagram for incipient motion of sediment. J Hydraul Eng 132:1097–1099

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dong P (2007) Two-fraction formulation of critical shear stresses for sand and silt mixtures. J Waterw Port Coast Ocean Eng 133:238–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garde RJ, RangaRaju KG (2000) Mechanics of sediment transportation and alluvial stream problems, 3rd edn. New Age International, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaucher J, Marche C, Mahdi T-F (2010) Experimental investigation of the hydraulic erosion of noncohesive compacted soils. J Hydraul Eng 136:901–913

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ikari MJ, Kopf AJ (2011) Cohesive strength of clay-rich sediment. Geophys Res Lett 38:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IS (Bureau of Indian Standards) (1975) Determination of in-place density by core-cutter method. IS-2720, Part XXIX, New Delhi

  • Iwagaki Y (1956) Hydrodynamical study on critical tractive force. Trans JSCE 41:1–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Jain RK (2008) Influence of cohesion on detachment and transport of clay-sand-gravel mixtures. IIT Roorkee, India

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamphuis JW, Hall KR (1983) Cohesive material erosion by unidirectional current. J Hydraul Eng 109:49–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kothyari UC, Jain RK (2008) Influence of cohesion on the incipient motion condition of sediment mixtures. Water Resour Res 44:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kothyari UC, Jain RK (2010) Erosion characteristics of cohesive sediment mixtures. In: River flow. pp 815–821

  • Kuhnle RA (1993) Incipient motion of sand-gravel sediment mixtures. J Hydraul Eng 119:1400–1415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchener H, Torfs H (1996) Erosion of mud/sand mixtures. Coast Eng 29:1–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Najafzadeh M, Lim SY (2015) Application of improved neuro-fuzzy GMDH to predict scour depth at sluice gates. Earth Sci Inf 8:187–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker G, Klingeman PC, McLean DG (1982) Bedload and size distribution in paved gravel-bed streams. J Hydraul Div 108:544–571

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel PL, RangaRaju KG (1996) Fractionwise calculation of bed load transport. J Hydraul Res 34:363–379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patel PL, RangaRaju KG (1999) Critical tractive stress of nonuniform sediments. J Hydraul Res 37:39–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rouse H (1939) An analysis of sediment transportation in the light of fluid turbulence. Technical Report, SCS-TP-25, United State Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Washington, DC

  • Shields IA (1936) Application of similarity principles and turbulence research to bed-load movement (Mitteilungen der PreussichenVersuchsanstalt für Wasserbau und Schiffbau, Berlin). Report No. 167 (W. P. Ott and J. C. van Uchelen, translators), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

  • Shroff AV, Shah DL (2003) Soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, Aa Balkema, ISBN 10: 9058092356

  • Singh M, Singh IB, Müller G (2007) Sediment characteristics and transportation dynamics of the Ganga River. Geomorphology 86:144–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu W, Wang SSY, Jia Y (2000) Nonuniform sediment transport in alluvial rivers. J Hydraul Res 38:427–434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yalin MS (1977) Mechanics of sediment transportation, 2nd Edition.Pergamon, New York

  • Yalin MS, Karahan E (1979) Inception of sediment transport. J Hydraul Div ASCE 105:1433–1443

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang CT (1973) Incipient motion and sediment transport. J Hydraul Div 99:1679–1704

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The experimental work presented here is the part of research project funded by the Indian Committee on Surface Water (INCSW), Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India

    Zulfequar Ahmad & Umesh K. Singh

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, JUIT Waknaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173234, India

    Ashish Kumar

Authors
  1. Zulfequar Ahmad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Umesh K. Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ashish Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zulfequar Ahmad.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Rui Miguel Lage Ferreira

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ahmad, Z., Singh, U.K. & Kumar, A. Incipient motion for gravel particles in clay-silt-gravel cohesive mixtures. J Soils Sediments 18, 3082–3093 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1869-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1869-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation