Experimental Study of Subsurface Erosion in River Banks

Authors: F. Imanshoar, M. R. M. Tabatabai, Y. Hassanzadeh, M. Rostamipoor

Abstract:

Subsurface erosion in river banks and its details, in spite of its occurrence in various parts of the world has rarely been paid attention by researchers. In this paper, quantitative concept of the subsurface bank erosion has been investigated for vertical banks. Vertical banks were simulated experimentally by considering a sandy erodible layer overlaid by clayey one under uniformly distributed constant overhead pressure. Results of the experiments are indicated that rate of sandy layer erosion is decreased by an increase in overburden; likewise, substituting 20% of coarse (3.5 mm) sand layer bed material by fine material (1.4 mm) may lead to a decrease in erosion rate by one-third. This signifies the importance of the bed material composition effect on sandy layers erosion due to subsurface erosion in river banks.

Keywords: Subsurface Erosion, Vertical Banks, Bed Material Size

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1327766

References:

[1] American Society of Civil Engineers Task Committee on River Widening, "River width adjustment," J. of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 124, 1998, pp. 903-917.
[2] Thorne C. R., "Bank processes and channel evolution in the incised rivers of north-central Mississippi in Incised River Channels," Engineering and Management, John Wiley, 1999, pp. 97-121.
[3] Thorne C. R. and Tovey, N. K., "Stability of Composite River banks," Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol. 6, 1981, pp. 469-484.
[4] Hagerty, D. J., "Piping/sapping erosion I: Identification and Diagnosis," J. of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 117, 1991a, pp. 991-1008.
[5] Langendoen, E. J. and Simon, A., "Modeling the evolution of incised streams," J. of Hydraulic Engineering, 2008, pp. 905-915.
[6] Imanshoar, F., Hassanzadeh, Y. and Tabatabai, M. R., "Basic considerations, evidences and diagnosis of piping erosion in riverbanks," INCWR2010, Kermanshah, Iran, 2010. (In Persian)
[7] Couper, P. R. and Maddock, I. P., "Sub aerial river bank erosion processes and their interaction with other bank erosion mechanisms on the river arrow," Warwichshire, UK, Earth Surface Process and Landforms, John Wiley and Sons, 26(6), 2001, pp. 631-646.
[8] Hagerty, D. J., "Piping/sapping erosion II: Basic considerations," Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 117, 1991b, pp. 1009-1025.
[9] Fox, G. A., Wilson, G. V., Simon, A., Langendoen E. J., Akay, O. and Fuchs, J. W., "Measuring stream bank erosion due to ground water seepage: correlation to bank pore water pressure, precipitation and stream stage," Earth Surface Process and Landforms, 32, 2007, pp. 1558 - 1573.
[10] Simon, A. and Rinaldi, M., "Channel instability in the loess area of the Midwestern United States," J. of American Water Resources Association, Vol. 36(1), 2000, pp. 133-150.