Field test and observations of wave effects on erodibility of sediment in Yellow River estuary, China

摘要

Simulations of wave action and erosion, using waveproducing device and recirculating flume, were proceeded on Haigang mudflat, in Yellow River estuary, together with the geotechnical parameters test of water content, bulk density, undrained shear strength, penetration strength, size grading and sediment components. Moreover, variety of the seabed morphological characteristics under different wave action was also observed in field. As shown in the experiment results, the erodibility of the silty sediment was af- fected significantly by the cyclic wave loading in Yellow River estuary. The erodibility variety with the changing wave loading closely related to the liquefaction and topography characteristics of the surface sedi- ment, which restricted the physical and mechanical properties of the sediment. Meanwhile, wave loading transformed the sediment component and the size grading which also have a remarkably impaction on the erodibility. Fully described, the increasing wave loading in vibration times reduced the erosion resistance, although fluctuations in little amplitude appeared in the overall trend, which was consistent with the strength indexes of the silty sediment. The other geotochnical parameters, size grading and sediment component all presented a dynamic variation with the wave condition's changing, but no a clear internal relation can be found between the physical parameters variation and the erosion variation with the wave condition's changing in the experiments.