ERROR ESTIMATE IN EINSTEINS SUSPENDED SEDIMENT LOAD METHOD

Computation of suspended sediment load in open channels relies on the integration of the product of the suspended sediment concentrations an d the fluid velocity profile. Sediment in the flow, however, travels a t a lower velocity than the fluid. Errors due to the relative velocity between sediment particles and fluid are evaluated based on experimen tal data The procedure for calculating the errors in Einstein's method does not involve calculating the actual suspended load; instead, it r elies on determining the relative error between the loads by using bot h the fluid velocity profile and the sediment velocity profile. Althou gh there is an abundance of data on the velocity profiles in open chan nel hows, with and without sediment in the flow, data on sediment velo city profiles is scarce. The analysis of the available data indicates that Einstein's method for computing the suspended sediment load overe stimates the load by about 40%, in some cases. Further data collection and subsequent analysis is needed to more accurately formulate the di fference in sediment loads based on Einstein's method.