HR: 0830h
AN: H41D-1042    [PDF]
TI: Measurements of Sediment Erosion and Transport with the {\it ASSET} Flume
AU: Jepsen, R A
EM: rajepse@sandia.gov
AF: Sandia National Laboratories, Mechanical Environments,\break P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185-1135 United States
AU: * Roberts, J D
EM: jdrober@sandia.gov
AF: Sandia National Laboratories, Carlsbad Programs,\break 4100 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220 United States
AU: James, S C
EM: scjames@sandia.gov
AF: Sandia National Laboratories, Geohydrology Department,\break P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185-0735 United States
AB: Soil and sediments play an important role in water management and water quality. Issues such as water turbidity, associated contaminants, reservoir sedimentation, undesirable erosion and scour, and aquatic habitat are all linked to sediment properties and behaviors. {\it In situ} analysis is necessary to develop an understanding of the erosion and transport of sediments. Sandia National Laboratories has recently patented the ASSET Flume that quantifies in situ erosion of a sediment core with depth while affording simultaneous examination of transport modes (bedload vs. suspended load) of the eroded material. Core erosion rates and ratios of bedload to suspended load transport of quartz sediments were studied with the ASSET Flume. The erosion and transport of a fine-grained natural cohesive sediment were also observed. Experiments using quartz sands revealed that the ratio of suspended load to bedload sediment transport is a function of grain diameter and shear stress at the sediment surface. Data collected from the ASSET Flume were used to formulate a novel empirical relation for predicting the ratio of bedload to suspended load as a function of shear stress and grain diameter for non-cohesive sediments.
DE: 1815 Erosion and sedimentation
DE: 1894 Instruments and techniques
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting