Effect of Bed Sand Content on the Turbulent Flows Associated with Clusters on an Armored Gravel Bed Surface

Abstract

As a gravel bed river armors, a bed surface often develops clusters as part of its structure. The influence of sand on armoring and the impact of clusters on the surrounding flow processes were investigated through flume experiments. Armored beds were created from four different sediments, which progressively increased from 1–38% sand in the bed sediment, extending from gravel framework to sand matrix beds. Turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and