This paper performs a numerical investigation on the kinetic behaviors of dry granular flows generated by the collapse of granular columns with different fractal particle size distributions (FPSDs) using the discrete element method. The FPSD has a remarkable impact on the regime and mobility of a granular flow. As the fractal dimension of a granular assembly increases, the translational velocities of the particles increase in the horizontal direction, whereas the rotational velocities decrease. The number of particles involved in the horizontal spreading increases due to the decreasing intensity of the contact shearing particle behavior. These increased translational velocities in the horizontal direction effectively facilitate particle spreading. A boundary layer is formed at the front bottom of the granular body in which the clockwise rotational velocities of particles are significantly increased, thereby benefiting particle spreading. The whole front of the granular flow obtains an immense spreading velocity. Moreover, the translational and rotational characteristics are dependent on the particle size. Smaller particles tend to translate and rotate faster than larger particles because of the greater particle contact forces of the former. As the fractal dimension increases, medium- and large-size particles obtain less kinetic energy than do small-size particles. Therefore, small-size particles play a crucial role in the mobility of granular flows in a granular assembly with a high fractal dimension.

As a prerequisite and foundation for studying the evolution mechanism of river channels, an in-depth understanding of the cross-sectional morphology adjustment is required. As a starting point, it is crucial to systematically summarize and generalize the research findings on channel morphological adjustment obtained to date, particularly in the context of the significant changes in the water and sediment conditions of large rivers that have occurred worldwide. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research findings on the three following aspects of the Lower Yellow River: the transverse distribution of overbank flow velocity, the transverse distribution of suspended sediment concentration, and the morphological adjustment of the river cross-section. There are various equations available to predict the lateral depth–average flow velocity distribution. These equations are classified into the two following categories: empirical and theoretical formulas. Theoretical formulas are obtained through consideration of the cross-sectional morphology, accounting for inertial force terms caused by secondary flow, and momentum transfer between the main channel and its floodplain. Similarly, empirical equations and theoretical formulas for sediment concentration transverse distribution are also summarized, given the different influencing factors and assumptions. We also discuss the morphological adjustment of river cross-sections based on the analysis of measured data, mathematical model calculation, and the physical model test. In particular, we propose the idea of revealing channel cross-section morphology evolution mechanisms from the theoretical level of water and sediment movement and distribution. This review aims to enhance understanding of overbank flow, sediment transport, and channel morphology in the Lower Yellow River and may also serve to some extent as a reference for the evolution and management of channels in other rivers.

The worldwide problem of reservoir sedimentation has perplexed the water conservancy industry. The problem of reservoir sedimentation is particularly serious in sandy rivers in China and directly affects the normal function of reservoirs. Due to its effect on the economy and environmental protection, the self-priming pipeline dredging and sediment discharge technology has broad application prospects. Nevertheless, there are pressing problems in the transportation of slurry particles in the pipeline system of this new technology. The purpose of this study is to use physical model tests to analyze the influence of the sediment transport rate and pipeline velocity on the motion state of particles (aggregation transport, jump transport, and suspension transport) when a heterogeneous flow with different particle sizes is transported in the pipeline. The results indicate that under the same pipeline velocity and sediment transport rate, the thickness of the static particle accumulation layer decreases with the increase in particle size in the state of aggregation and transportation, and the smaller the particle size, the greater the particle movement speed in the case of aggregation and suspension transportation. During jump transportation, the velocity of particles above the critical inflection point Y’ increases with the decrease in particle size. The opposite is found below the critical inflection point Y’. At the same particle size and sediment transport rate, when the pipeline velocity increases, the particle transport transits from aggregation transport to jump transport and then to suspension transport. The larger the pipeline velocity, the greater the overall movement speed of particles. When gathering and conveying, if the pipeline flow rate increases by 1.5, the maximum movement speed of particles increases by 3.3. The curvature of the vertical velocity curve of the particles during jump transportation is not affected by the pipeline velocity. The particle velocity at the highest point increases with the increase in the pipeline velocity. During suspension transportation, the difference between the maximum and minimum vertical particle distribution velocities is exponentially related to the pipeline velocity. At the same pipe velocity and particle size, the overall particle velocity decreases with the increase in sediment transport rate.

The construction of a river regulation project has changed the cross-sectional shape of a river and significantly impacted the evolution of the river regime. In this paper, an asymmetry index was proposed to characterize the changes in the shape of the river cross-section and the distribution of water and sediment factors. According to the transverse distribution formula of the river section and water and sediment factors, the asymmetry of the cross-sectional shape as well as water and sediment factors along with the transverse distribution in the wandering reach of the lower Yellow River before and after the construction project was calculated, respectively. The results showed that the cross-sectional shape of the river channel before and after the building was asymmetric, and the cross-sectional shape of the river channel after the construction was more asymmetric than that of the free development channel without engineering constraints; at the same time, under the action of a limited control boundary, the asymmetry of cross-section flow velocity and sediment concentration and other water and sediment factors along the transverse distribution were more prominent, the flow velocity and sediment concentration along the transverse distribution increased, the river flow was more concentrated, and the sediment transport capacity of the channel improved significantly under a large flow (5000 m³/s). This study revealed the positive effect of river regulation projects on the river regime evolution of the wandering river and provided new ideas for the study of river regime evolution.

Two-dimensional model tests combined with PIV technology were conducted to study the failure behavior of strip footing on geosynthetic-reinforced granular soil foundations on a mesoscale. The results showed that geosynthetic reinforcements improve the bearing capacity of granular soil foundations; however, the effectiveness of the reinforcement was affected by the position, length, and number of geosynthetics. The mesoscale factor affecting the reinforcement effectiveness was the size of the sliding wedge in the foundation, which was changed by the embedded geosynthetics. As the depth, length, number, and vertical spacing of the reinforcements varied, three possible failure modes occurred in the reinforced foundations: failure above the top reinforcement layer, failure between reinforcement layers, and failure similar to footings on the unreinforced foundation.

Understanding bed-load dynamics over armored streambeds with particle clusters has been a longstanding challenge for river engineers. A flume experiment was conducted to investigate the processes of bed coarsening and cluster formation as well as their influences on bed-load dynamics. During the experiment, the experiment gradually increased inflow discharge from 80 to 145 L/s over 16 h, then maintained a steady discharge of 150 L/s for approximately 32 h. Continuous photographic analysis identified four periods of streambed armoring: (1) bed coarsening, (2) emergence of prototype clusters, (3) interconnecting of neighboring clusters, and (4) formation of mature clusters with high flow belts. Bed surface coarsening, dominant in P1–P2, increasingly restricted bed-load movement. In periods P3–P4 phases, coarsening ceased, while particle clustering intensified, further impeding bed-load transport. To quantify particle clustering, we enhanced the K parameter to parameter by incorporating the diameters of key particles. Our research reveals that overlooking the inhibitory effect of parameters can lead to considerable inaccuracies in the estimation of bed-load transport rates during periods P3–P4, even when advanced surface-based transport models are used.