Temporal entrainment characteristics and mixing processes of sediment-laden turbidity currents interacting with a rectangular obstacle are investigated through lock-exchange experiments. Building on the Morton-Taylor-Turner hypothesis, dependency of temporal entrainment on non-dimensional parameters is examined. Currents of varying density are analyzed during the slumping phase over smooth and rough substrates. Quantitative and qualitative observations of the currents are captured through high resolution, high framerate binary thresholding techniques. Additionally, siphoning techniques are used to compare the density structure of the currents before and after the obstacle. Upon interaction with the obstacle, currents are found to experience four stages of entrainment: (i) lateral entrainment stage; (ii) jet stage; (iii) collapsing stage; (iv) re-establishment stage. The entrainment parameter was within the range of other studies for both obstacle and no-obstacle cases. Reynolds, Froude, and Richardson numbers are also comparable to previous studies; however, there was no clear relationship with the entrainment parameter. This suggests that entrainment dependency on non-dimensional parameters is not quantifiable where the analysis area length to lock-box length ratio is ≈1. The presence of the obstacle was shown to increase entrainment by approximately 99% immediately downstream of the obstacle, associated with a subsequent entrainment decrease by 14% at the downstream end of the analysis area. For rectangular obstacles 1/6th the initial current height, as used for this study, an obstacle’s role is limited in decreasing net velocity and entrainment and not fit-for-purpose as a barrier to reduce current velocity. Finally, we discuss optimization strategies, weighing up observed minimal net velocity/entrainment decrease with the detrimental effects of jet expansion.
By synchronizing data collection, such as photometric and ultrasonic Doppler profiling (UVP) measurement techniques, new insights can be obtained into environmental flows, such as highly dynamic turbidity currents. We introduce a combined experimental setup, which ultimately allows a time reduction in testing programmes, and discuss the measurement advances with the help of four surface conditions we tested for unconfined turbidity currents: (a) a smooth surface; (b) a smooth surface with an obstacle present; (c) a rough surface; and (d) a rough surface with an obstacle present. We show that data from both measurement techniques indicate that a rough surface reduces global current velocities and the magnitude of turbidity current phenomena, including Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and lobe-and-cleft formation. However, by coupling the techniques, photometric data give valuable insight into the spatial development of instabilities, such as the grouping of lobe and cleft formations. The presence of an obstacle causes local regions of an increased and decreased velocity, but does not affect the global current velocity. Additionally, the obstacle created three local intensity maxima upstream, dissipating to two maxima downstream, supporting the presence of local eddies. The study shows that the combination of UVP and photometry is an effective way forward for obtaining detailed qualitative and quantitative insights into turbulent flow characteristics and we highlight the potential for future research.
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