Evolution of a non-cohesive granular bed subject to a succession of erosive turbidity currents

An experiment was performed to study the evolution of a non-cohesive granular bed subject to a succession of erosive turbidity currents to evaluate the applicability of a proposed interface model that prescribes a relationship between the bed shear stress and the local bed elevation and local bed slope. This study considered only the relationship between the local bed elevation and the shear stress by using non-cohesive plastic particles as bed sediment that was laid down in a subaqueous straight channel. The elevation of the plastic bed was measured before and after it was subjected to two erosive salt water turbidity currents using a high resolution displacement laser mapping system. These changes in elevation of the sediment bed are compared to determine whether a correlation exists between local bed elevation and bed erosion. The results from this experiment display a weak correlation between the erosion of the plastic bed and the initial local bed elevation when the initial elevation height is small relative to the thickness of the turbidity currents.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Rangel, Roberto Carlos

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David Mohrig.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36712

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/36712