Prandtl's Mixing Length Concept Modified for Equilibrium Sediment-Laden Flows

Abstract

The Prandtl-von Karman mixing length concept for clear-water flows is generalized for sediment-laden flows. The new model is applied for the analysis of dilute equilibrium sediment-laden flows down an inclined flat bed composed of mobile suspendable sediment particles. The derivation and the features of the modified formulation are discussed in detail. The model incorporates the effect of density stratification and accounts for the presence of a solid phase in the flow. Computational results are compared with experimental data. The model successfully explains the observed characteristics of these flows.