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Fluvial Hydraulics Tilting Flume

Fluvial Hydraulics Tilting Flume (CIV)

The CIV facility consists of a 40.0 m long glass-sided rectangular tilting flume, 2.0 m width and 1.0 m deep cross section. The flume bottom slope can vary from 0% to 2.5%. The CIV was designed to study sediment transport phenomena and is capable of recirculating both water and sediments. 

The experimental setup includes a closed hydraulic circuit where the discharge (water and sediment) can vary from 0.1 to 1.0 m3/s.  

Presently, this flume is used in a research project with the objective to run an intensive and systematic laboratory campaign to characterize the maximum local scour depth at complex bridge piers. Tests are being carried out with durations of, at least, two weeks. In the channel, a concrete false bottom was installed in order to obtain two sand filled recess boxes, 5.0 m long and 0.4 m deep. Each of the sand boxes is preceded by a 2.0 m long accelerating ramp and a 7.0 m long fixed-bed reach and is followed by a 3.0 m long fixed-bed reach. This channel configuration allows two tests being carried out simultaneously. The study includes the characterization of the flow around bridge piers, through ADV velocity measurements.