A study on meandering in straight alluvial channels

Abstract

Two different types of meander patterns are found on the sediment beds of straight alluvial channels with nonerodible banks. The first type occurs when the Froude number of the flow is close to 1 and the ratio between the depth and the width of the flow is within a certain range. This pattern probably results from surface waves on the water. The second type of pattern has alternating scour holes and occurs predominantly when water is flowing between rough banks. It is shown how this pattern can be caused by the difference between the shear stresses at the two sides of the flow cross section.