Large scale tests for gravel-bed river widening

摘要

Numerous gravel-bed rivers are affected by unceasing degradation problems, mostly caused or increased by technical measures upstream. In Germany removing the bank fixations is regarded as a concept to dissolve the problem. By allowing lateral erosion and in consequence river widening the bed load transport capacity will be decreased. Additionally the eroded bank material will serve as an auxiliary sediment influx. To determine this process of gravel river widening and estimate the possible changes in river morphology, large scale tests are carried out at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen since 1999. In addition to a straight model flume, with a total width of 8 m and a length of 100 m, a double curved model flume with a total width of 10 m and a length of 90 m was constructed to investigate the erosion effects in meandering channels.