Abstract

This paper investigates the flow and bed deformation due to river restoration structures such as groins with both physical model experiment and numerical simulation. The experiment is based on a large-scale physical model and is able to resolve the local flow and sediment transport phenomena with a relatively high accuracy. Multi-dimensional models mainly of 2D and 3D are used in the numerical simulation considering the cost-effectiveness and practicability. Moreover, the numerical models are formulated on unstructured meshes and allow the exact representation of complex geometries commonly encountered in the engineering practice. The numerical results have been compared with those of the experimental measurements. Reasonable agreements have been obtained in terms of both flow patterns and bed morphodynamics. It is hence expected that the proposed models may serve as a valuable tool for the effective management of river sediment.

Keywords: River morphodynamics, groin, large-scale physical model, multi-dimensional analysis