An experimental study was undertaken to investigate the effects of roughness on the structure of turbulent boundary layers in open channels. The study was carried out using a laser Doppler anemometer in shallow flows for three different types of rough surface, as well as a hydraulically smooth surface. The flow Reynolds number based on the boundary layer momentum thickness ranged from 1400 to 4000. The boundary layer thickness was comparable with the depth of flow and the turbulence intensity in the channel flow varied from 2 to 4 percent. The defect profile was correlated using an approach which allowed both the skin friction and wake strength to vary. The wake parameter was observed to vary significantly with the type of surface roughness in contradiction to the “wall similarity” hypothesis. Wall roughness also led to higher turbulence levels in the outer region of the boundary layer. The profound effect of surface roughness on the outer region as well as the effect of channel turbulence on the main flow indicates a strong interaction, which must be accounted for in turbulence models. [S0098-2202(00)00803-8]

The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of surface roughness on the higher-order velocity moments in a turbulent open-channel flow. The wall roughness is large and the ratio of the roughness size to the depth of flow ranges from 0.1 to 0.15. Flow over two types of roughness conditions (ribs and dunes) are examined and compared with that over a smooth open channel. In the case of the rib roughness, three different spacings are used: p∕k=4.5 , 9, and 18; here, p =distance between the leading edges of two consecutive ribs and k =height of a rib with square cross section. The shape of the smooth wall dunes was geometrically similar to that commonly used in previous studies. In an effort to understand the influence of local wall roughness, rough-wall dunes are also used in the present study. The variables of interest include higher-order moments, conditional statistics based on a quadrant analysis, relationship of higher-order moments to the Reynolds stress and energy production. Although there ...