/ Lecture 3

Sediment Settling Velocity

Qian Yu
qianyu.nju@gmail.com
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L2 Sediment Characteristics
Grain size: mud (clay, silt), sand
Grain-size measurements
Physical properties:
density, porosity, bulk density or dry density
Dynamics properties: Cohesive, Non-cohesive
Transport modes: Bedload, Suspended load

Bed material load, Wash load

van Rijn, 2007, JHE

Galileo Galilei (15641642)

In a tale that may be apocryphal, Galileo

(or an assistant, more likely) dropped
two objects of unequal mass from the
Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Sediment Settling Velocity

Definition:
The settling velocity or fall velocity or terminal velocity (Ws) of
a sediment particle is defined as the rate at which the
sediment settles in still fluid.
grain size
shape (roundness and sphericity)
density
viscosity and density of the fluid
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Water Viscosity
If the speed of the top plate is
small enough, the fluid particles
will move parallel to it, and their
speed will vary linearly from zero
at the bottom to u at the top.

Dynamic viscosity
kinematic viscosity
They depend on temperature
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Viscosity of liquid water at different temperatures

mPa s = 10-3 kg/m/s

Temperature ()

Dynamic viscosity
(mPa s)

10

1.308

20

1.002

30

0.7978

40

0.6531

50

0.5471

60

0.4658

70

0.4044

80

0.355

90

0.315

100

0.2822

Force balance on settling particles

Weight
Buoyancy
Drag ()

Buoyancy

Drag

Weight

Gravity:
The net gravitational force is the difference
between weight and buoyancy
FG = sV g;
Fb = V g
s and are the sediment and fluid densities
V is the volume of the sediment particle
g is the acceleration of gravity
positive as downward, the net gravitational force
on the particle :

Drag: The drag force depends on the particle's shape,

size, and relative velocity, and on the fluid's density and
viscosity.

u is the velocity of the particle relative to the fluid

A is the cross sectional area of the particle perpendicular to
its trajectory.
The drag coefficient, CD, is a non-dimensional number that
depends on the shape of the particle, the fluid's kinematic
viscosity, and grain size.

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 Imagine a sediment grain initially at rest

Once the gravitational force begins to accelerate the particle, its
velocity increases
The sediment, now moving through the fluid, will feel a frictional drag
force, FD, that is proportional to the square of the relative velocity of
the particle in the fluid.
FD will increase as the particle accelerates, The net force on the
particle will be the difference between the net gravitational force and
the drag: Fg - FD
Eventually, the drag force exactly balances the net gravitational
force: Fg = FD
At that point, the sediment has reached its terminal fall velocity.
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Drag coefficient: CD:

grain size
shape (roundness and sphericity)
Density (not related)
viscosity and density of the fluid

Using theoretical and empirical relationships obtained

for perfect spheres, and then adjust them to account
for the range of natural sediment shapes.
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Stoke's Law: for a small sphere

The drag coefficient of spheres has been found to be a function of a
non-dimensional number, the particle Reynolds number:

where u, D, and are velocity, sphere diameter, and kinematic viscosity

The particle Reynolds number is used to indicate whether the boundary
layer around a particle is turbulent or laminar, and the drag exerted will
depend on this.

Laminar condition:

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Grain size

Settling Velocity

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Natural Particles are not spheres

Natural particles will tend to have lower settling velocities because

decreases in sphericity
increases in angularity
More oblong particles (less spherical) :
larger-cross sectional area tends to be directed perpendicular to
transport path
flow separation (increases drag)
rotate, follow wobbling paths, etc. as they settle
Angular particles :
increased roughness of the particle surface increases drag
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By Western Stream at Chuzhou

Wei Yingwu
Green grass by the brook is what I like best.
Yellow orioles sing above in the thick forest.
Overnight rain ushers in the spring flood fast.
A ferryboat is left half-across for lack of guest.
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Shark-skin
swimming suit

Roundness of
grains

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For larger or dense particles

change is roundness and shape factor have similar magnitude
effects on settling velocity; Roundness varies much less for
naturally occurring, is a less important control than shape.
For a typical coarse sand with a Powers roundness of 3.5 and a
Corey shape factor of 0.7, the settling velocity is about 0 .68 that of
a sphere of the same D*
At low D* (smaller particles)
Reduction in settling velocity due to either shape or roundness is
much less
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Settling Velocity
of Natural Sands

(Souslby, 1997)
Ws =

[(107.33 + 1.049 D3 ) 2 10.36]

d
g ( s ) 13
] d
D = [
2

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Settling velocity of Cohesive and non-cohesive Sediment

Non-cohesive sediment: grain by grain

Predicted by the above formulas
Cohesive sediment: interactions between grains
particles may flocculate and form large, less dense, groups of
particles (flocs)
Unpredictable, typical value: 0.1 ~ 1 mm/s

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hindered settling
at high concentrations, the return flow of water around a particle may create
an upward drag on neighboring particles

In hindered settling regimes, these become large enough to keep sediment

fluidized, and to prevent settling.

Settling velocity

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Suspended sedimentConcentration

 LISST-ST is a submersible field

instrument developed for in-situ
observation of the size-dependent
settling velocity distribution of suspended
particles
A mechanized Settling Column
In a Settling experiment, a water sample
is drawn and trapped
The evolution of the size distribution near
the base of the settling column during the
settling experiment is interpreted to
estimate settling velocities.

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