Experimental analysis of the effect of vegetation on flow and bed shear stress distribution in high-curvature bends

The cross-sectional circulation, which develops in meandering bends, exerts an important role in velocity and the boundary shear stress redistributions. This paper considers the effect of vegetation on cross-sectional flow and bed shear distribution along a high-curvature bend. The analysis is conducted with the aid of data collected in a large-amplitude meandering flume during a reference experiment without vegetation and an experiment with vegetation on the bed. The results show that the presence of vegetation modifies the curvature-induced flow pattern and the directionality of turbulent structures. In fact, in the presence of vegetation, the turbulent structures tend to develop within and between the vegetated elements. The pattern of cross-sectional flow, modified by the presence of vegetation, affects the bed shear stress distribution along the bend so that the core of the highest value of the bed shear stress does not reach the outer bank.