Experimental study on the effects of artificial bed roughness on turbidity currents over abrupt bed slope change.

A series of experimental observations are presented in the current study to discuss the effects of artificial bed roughness on the turbidity current flowing in a rectangular channel with an abrupt change in bed slope. For this purpose, two different types of elements, sinusoidal and trapezoidal, with various heights and arrangements are considered as artificial bed roughness. A Vectrino velocity meter was used to measure the velocity and sediment concentration profiles. The effects of inlet sediment concentration on front velocity, body velocity, unit discharge, sediment concentration, and suspended load transport rate also were investigated. Accurate equations were developed for estimation of the velocity of a turbidity current over smooth and rough beds. The unexpected experimental results showed that unlike the effect of roughness height, a change in the roughness arrangement has no significant influence on the velocity of a turbidity current. Also, the effect of bed roughness on the front velocity of a denser current is more significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]