Abstract

The previous studies on random motion of sediment is mostly based on the suggestion that the vertical and longitudinal components of fluctuate bottom velocity are independent. In fact these components are correlated with each other and their correlation has significant influence on the sediment motion. In this paper the correlation coefficient about -1 is adopted. The conditions of transition, the critical velocities, the transition probabilities and the state probabilities are derived. The matrix of transition probabilities can be divided into three forms, other than one form in case of vertical and longitudinal being independent from each other. Although the extreme value -1 of correlation coefficient is taken, the study results reveal the characteristics of transition probabilities in general situation and more mechanism of sediment motion and exchange among moving states.

Keywords: sediment motion, correlation, correlation coefficient, critical velocity, transition condition, transition probability, state probability, matrix of transition probabilities