Modeling the Saltation and Evaluating the Parameters Affecting the Random Movement of Sediment Particles in Bed Load Transport Under Steady Flow

Study on the physics of sediment particle movement at grain scale is essential for better understanding sediment transport phenomenon and estimating the rate of sediment transport in rivers and marine environment. Sediment particles basically transport in two modes of bed and suspended load. Bed load takes place through sliding, rolling and saltation, from which the latter is dominant. Many parameters influence on saltation phenomenon, which their effects are not fully understood. These influencing parameters make the saltation a stochastic phenomenon. In the present article the influence of the affecting parameters on movement of sediment particles at saltation mode of transport under unidirectional steady flow are investigated. A numerical model is developed to simulate the particle motion in bed load saltation with considering the main contributor forces. Then the influencing parameters that effect on the jump length and average velocity of the particles are studied. Among them are the initial condition, the particle position between other particles and the shape of particles. The influence of the velocity profile on the jump length and average velocity of the particles are also studied. In summary, the change in the initial condition including the initial velocity and angle produces less than 10% variation on the particle jump length and velocity. On the other hand the position of the grain between the other particles is considerably influential with 40% change in the jump length and average velocity. The particle shape is most important parameter in term of the influence on the jump length and average velocity; there is a 50% difference between the jump length of spherical particles and flake-shape particles, for average velocity it is about 10%. The result of the study improves our understanding of particle motion at grain scale and ultimately results in the better estimation of sediment transport rate.