EFFECTS OF ROCK FRAGMENT SIZE AND COVER ON OVERLAND-FLOW HYDRAULICS, LOCAL TURBULENCE AND SEDIMENT YIELD ON AN ERODIBLE SOIL SURFACE

The interactions between overland flow hydraulics and sediment yield w ere studied in flume experiments on erodible soil surfaces covered by rock fragments. The high erodibility of a non- cohesive fine sediment (D50 = 0.09 mm) permitted the effects of local turbulence and scour on sediment yield to be examined. Overland flow hydraulics and sediment yield were compared for experiments with pebble (D50 = 1.5 cm) and cob ble (D50 = 8.6 cm) rock fragment covers. Cover percentages range from 0 to 99 per cent. Rock fragment size strongly affects the relations be tween flow hydraulics and rock fragment cover. For pebbles spatially a veraged hydraulic parameters (flow velocity, flow depth, effective flo w width, unit discharge, total shear stress, Darcy-Weisbach friction f actor, percentage grain friction and grain shear stress) vary most rap idly within cover percentages at low covers (power functions). In cont rast, for cobbles these parameters vary most rapidly within cover perc entages at high covers (exponential functions). As the type of the fun ction that describes the relation between flow hydraulics and cover pe rcentage can be deduced from the ratio of rock fragment height to flow depth, the continuity equation can be employed to determine the actua l coefficients of the functions, provided the regression of one hydrau lic parameter (e.g. flow velocity) with cover percentage is known and a good estimate exists for two values of another hydraulic variable fo r a low and a high cover percentage. The variation of sediment yield w ith cover percentage is also strongly dependent on rock fragment size, but neither the convex-upward relation for pebbles, nor the positive relation for cobbles can be solely attributed to the spatially average d hydraulics of sheet-flow. Rock fragments induce local turbulence tha t leads to scour hole development on the stoss side of the rock fragme nts while deposition commonly occurs in the wake. This local scour and deposition substantially affects sediment yield. However, scour dimen sions cannot be predicted by spatially averaged flow hydraulics. An ad justment of existing scour formulas that predict scour around bridge p iers is suggested. Sediment yield from non-cohesive soils might then b e estimated by a combination of sediment transport and scour formulas.