RESISTANCE TO FLOW IN

ALLUVIAL CHANNELS

by
M.K. MITTAL Retd. Prof.
DEPT. OF CIVIL ENGG.
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE
 RESISTANCE RELATIONSHIP RELATES U,R,S WITH SOME
RESISTANCE PARAMETERS LIKE MANNING’S n
OR Chezy’s C

U= R2/3 S1/2 OR U= C
FOR RIGID BED CHANNELS WITH CLEAR WATER C & n ARE
WELL DEFINED, NOT SO FOR ALLUVIAL STREAMS – MOVABLE
BED, PRESENCE OF BED FORMS CARRIE Q & QT

RESISTANCE IN ALLUVIAL CHANNELS HIGHLY VARIABLE

 GRAIN RESISTANCE
………............
F= (d)
.

GRAIN + FORM RESISTANCE

VARIABE F=( UNDULATIONS)

 IMPORTANCE :

 DESIGN OF STABLE CHANNELS TO CARRY Q & QT

 PREPARATION OF STAGE DISCHARGE CURVE
 ESTIMATION OF SEDIMENT TRANSPORT

APPROACHES:

 DIVISION OF RESISTANCE---
TOTAL RESISTANCE = GRAIN + FORM RESISTANCE
TOTAL RESISTANCE = f ( FLOW, FLUID AND SEDIMENT)
DIVISION OF RESISTANCE : MANY APPROACHES ,
DISCUSS EINSTEIN & BARBAROSSA’S METHOD

PREMISE : TOTAL RESISTANCE= GRAIN+ FORM

ACCORDINGLY R= R’ + R’’
FOR R’ MANNING – STRICKLER’S EQ. PROPOSED

U= R’2/3 S1/2 WHERE ns =

FOR CALCULATING FORM RESISTANCE, RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN ∗ VS Ψ’ WAS PROPOSED ,
AS IN BELOW
MEAN VELOCITY DETERMINATION FOR A GIVEN Y OR R

 INVOLVES TRIAL & ERROR

 ASSUME R’ < R
 TOTAL RESISTANCE APPROACH

 LACEY’S EQ. U= 10.8 R2/3 S1/3 IN S.I.UNITS

FOR STABLE CHANNELS, USED FOR ALLUVIAL RIVERS
DURING HIGH FLOOD NOT FOR LOWER STAGES AS
CONCEPT- REGIME SEDIMENT SIZE d IS ALSO TAKEN

 RELATIONSHIP BY GARDE AND RANGA RAJU

PARAMERS R/d S/(∆γs /γf) AND

∆ /

COMPLETELY DEFINE THE RESISTANCE RELATIONSHIP

VALID FOR RIPPLE,DUNES, TRANSITION AND ANTIDUNES
RANGE OF PARAMETERS USED IN GARDE AND RANGA RAJU’S
RELATIONSHIP

PARAMETER RANGE
R 0.023m -17.10m
U 0.58m/s – 3.45m/s
S 3.64x10-5 to 2.66x10-2
d 0.011mm to 5.2 mm
RELATIVE DENSITY OF 1.052 to 4.22
SEDIMENT