Research on the morphological behaviour of bifurcations in rivers

Research on the morphological behaviour of bifurcations in rivers

Den Dekker, P.
Van Voorthuizen, J.M.

De Vries, M. (mentor)
Wang, Z.B. (mentor)
Fontijn, H.L. (mentor)
Fokkink, R.J. (mentor)

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Hydraulic Engineering

1994-05-01

The morphological behaviour of bifurcations in rivers is a poorly understood problem with which many river engineers are confronted. Bifurcations are mostly found in deltas, but also in braided sections of a river. The course of a braided river is highly unstable and unpredictable; serious problems can therefore arise if an attempt is made to regulate the river. The stability of the islands in these braided rivers is strongly influenced by the morphological behaviour of the bifurcations. A better understanding of the processes occurring at a bifurcation would contribute to the understanding of the behaviour of the braided river system, which in turn could help in modelling the river system as a whole. The research done for the thesis work is a continuation of the research done by Wang et al. (1993) for the modelling of estuaries. Wang analyzed the influence of the relations describing a bifurcation on the stability of one-dimensional network morphodynamic models. The thesis work is an expansion of his analysis to the research on the stability of bifurcated rivers; it comprises two parts: - a theoretical analysis in which an analytical model leads to a number of conclusions verified by numerical computations; - the design and construction of an experimental model of a bifurcation in a river; this model can and will be used to conduct experiments which should complement the results of the theoretical analysis.

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:9af58ad8-9927-4f42-a52b-eb59b503c38a

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 1994 Den Dekker, P.
Van Voorthuizen, J.M.