Laboratory study of suspension of sediment mixtures in turbulence generated by multiple oscillating grids

Sediment suspension is vital to the geomorphological and ecological processes in rivers. However, previous research has mainly focused on the suspension of sediments with uniform grain sizes, neglecting the complexities arising from sediment mixtures. This study investigates the suspension behaviors of both uniform and mixed-size sediment grains in an oscillating grid turbulence environment. The experimental apparatus comprised a seven-panel grid system, which oscillated at varying frequencies to generate homogeneous turbulence within a water column. The results revealed that for uniform sediments, the sediment diffusion coefficient increases nonlinearly with oscillating frequency and particle size, and for sediment mixtures, the suspension of particles is influenced not only by particle inertial effect but also by the interaction between coarse and fine particles. The presence of coarse grains leads to an enhancement in the sediment diffusion coefficient for fine grains, whereas the reverse influence is minimal. Additionally, the size fraction for the suspended sediment is influenced by various factors, including the oscillating frequency, the height of suspension, and the type of the sediment bed. This study also investigates the mechanisms of sediment-carrying capacity from an energy conservation perspective. It shows that the power required to keep sediment in suspension can be adopted as a new parameter for assessing sediment-carrying capacity. These insights are expected to have broader implications for the comprehension of suspended sediment transport in rivers.