An experimental study into local scour in a channel caused by a 90° bend

Abstract

Based on a series of experiments, this paper explores the influence of a 90° change in flow direction on local scouring. The influence on local scour patterns due to hydraulic parameters such as the Froude number, the slope of the protection wall, the width of the protection apron along the outside wall of the downstream section, and the grain size of the channel bed material is examined. Protection-wall slopes ranging from 1:0.5 to 1:4 (vertical to horizontal) were investigated, as were different widths of the protection apron; the goal was to ascertain the role of these variables in local scour patterns in the vicinity of the bend. The factors affecting local scour depth are related through empirical equations to key hydraulic variables, the slope of the protection wall, and the width of the protection apron.Key words: bent flume, channel erosion, Froude number, scour depth, slope of protection wall (SPW), width of protection apron (WPA).