Experimental Study of Bed Shear Stress in Straight Channels Covered with Dunes of Different Sizes

The formation of bed form in alluvial rivers due to sediment transport has a significant effect on the hydraulic parameters of the flow such as bed shear stress. The formation of the bed form and its shape and geometry depends on the bed shear stress. Therefore, the relationship between bed form and flow parameters (such as bed shear stress) is complicated. In the present study; the effect of dune bed forms with different heights on bed shear stress has been investigated. Artificial dunes made by sand-cement mortar with a length of 25 cm and heights of 1, 2, 3, and 4 cm were used. In the tests of this research, flow discharge of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 l/s and bed slopes of 0, 0.0001, 0.0005, 0.001, and 0.0015 were used. The results showed that with increasing the relative submergence and Δ/λ, the bed shear stress increased in dune-covered beds. The formation of the dune bed form and the increase in its height leads to an increase in the bed shear stress. The bed shear stress in dunes with a height of 1, 2, 3, and 4 cm was, on average, 39, 80, 141, and 146% more than in plane beds, respectively. Moreover, form shear stress for dunes with a height of 1, 2, 3, and 4 cm was, on average, 27.37, 43, 57.11, and 58.74% of the total shear stress, respectively.