FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND RIVER ENGINEERING(CE 805) 8th sem (for sec A &B )

MEANDERING Date: 25/03/20

A river meandering through an alluvial plain has a series of consecutive curves of reversed order
connected with short straight stretches called crossing. Width of meandering belt M b is the
transverse distance between the apex point of one curve and apex point on reserve curve.

Length of meander ( M L ) : It is the air distance along river between tangent point of one curve and
tangent point of other curve of same order.

Degree of Sinuosity: It is the ratio between the curve length and the straight air distance.

CAUSES OF MEANDERING:

Primary cause of meandering is the excess of total charge during floods, when excess of turbulence
is developed. Experiments have shown that when charge is in excess of that required for stability, a
river tends to build a steeper slope by depositing the charge on the bed. This increase in slope tends
to increase, in its turn, the width of the channel if the banks are not resistant. Only a slight deviation
from uniform axial flow is than necessary to cause more flow towards one bank than towards the
other. Additional flow is immediately attracted towards the former banks, leading to shoaling along
the latter, accentuating the curvature of flow and producing, finally meanders in its wake.

BASIC FACTORS CONTROLLING PROCESS OF MEANDERING:

The basic factors controlling process of meandering are given as:

1. Valley slope: This is overall slope of terrain traversed by the stream and is measured down the
axis of the valley. A change in the valley slope always produces change in the meander pattern.
2. Stream load: Composition of stream load as well as its rate of movement materially affects the
meander pattern.

3. Discharge: This concerns seasonal stream flow variations as represented by the average
hydrograph. There is a close relationship between the rate of discharge and the rate of bed load
movement and therefore, it affects meandering.

4. Bed and side resistance: Boundary resistance are characterised by the nature of materials
composing the alluvium, more particularly by its resistance to erosion. Grain size, specific gravity,
cohesion and roughness are important factors. Grain size may range from large boulders and
pebbles in head reaches to fine sand and silt in lower reaches of a river. In a river with gravel and
boulder bed no definite meander pattern is observed as the river has a tendency to form interlaced
channel.