Incipient motion design of sand bed channels affected by bed suction

Seepage through sand bed channels in a downward direction (suction) reduces the stability of particles and initiates the sand movement. Incipient motion of sand bed channel with seepage cannot be designed by using the conventional approach. Metamodeling techniques, which employ a non-linear pattern analysis between input and output parameters and solely based on the experimental observations, can be used to model such phenomena. Traditional approach to find non-dimensional parameters has not been used in the present work. Parameters, which can influence the incipient motion with seepage, have been identified and non-dimensionalized in the present work. Non-dimensional stream power concept has been used to describe the process. By using these non-dimensional parameters; present work describes a radial basis function (RBF) metamodel for prediction of incipient motion condition affected by seepage. The coefficient of determination, R² of the model is 0.99. Thus, it can be said that model predicts the phenomena very well. With the help of the metamodel, design curves have been presented for designing the sand bed channel when it is affected by seepage.     

Model Studies on Salt and Water Balances at Konanki Pilot Area, Andhra Pradesh, India

The salt and water balances at Konanki pilot area in Nagarjunasagar project right canal command in Andhra Pradesh State of India were analysed using SALTMOD. The model was calibrated by using two-year data collected in the pilot area. From the calibration, the leaching efficiencies of the root and transition zone were estimated as 65% and the out going natural sub-surface drainage was determined as 50 mm per year. The model predicts that the root zone soil water salinity will be reduced to 4, 3 and 2.5 dS/m (from an initial value of 11.5 dS/m) during the first, second and third seasons within six years after installation of the drainage system. Next, the situation prior to the installation of the drainage system was reconstructed using the model. Finally, sensitivity analyses were made to study the effects of varying drain depth, spacing and amount of irrigation water applied on root zone salinity and depth to water table. Here, the model predicted that closer than the present spacing or further deepening of the drains from the present depth of 1 m to 1.4 m will not have any better influence on the reduction of the root zone salinity than in the present situation. These simulations also suggested that by applying 80% of the present amount of irrigation water, the root zone salinity can be brought down to 5 and 4 dS/m by second and fourth years, respectively and this will in turn reduce the problem of water logging and salinity to some extent.