Impact of Filter Unit Placement on Suspended Sediment Deposition Promotion in Rivers

Abstract

A filter unit (FU) is a structure installed with the aim of protecting the foundation of an embankment revetment from riverbed scouring, and there are cases in which sediment is deposited in the surrounding area after installation. Vegetation growth in sediment can improve the environment and protect revetments. Hydraulic experiments and numerical calculations were conducted to investigate how suspended sediments are deposited around FUs over a large area within a short period of time. We performed suspended sediment deposition experiments using FU models and confirmed that sediment deposition can be calculated accurately using a two-dimensional planar model. We also analyzed FU placement and its impact on topographical changes in an actual river in which FUs were installed. The results showed that (1) the continuous placement of FUs inhibits sediment deposition on the downstream side; (2) arranging FUs at intervals facilitates sediment deposition even under small-scale floods; and (3) employing an interval of half the FU width for every three or more FUs can effectively promote suspended sediment deposition at intervals.