Journal of Hydraulic Research

Hydraulics of Sediment Transport and Scour

Sediment transport and scour are central topics in hydrodynamics, shaping landscapes, influencing ecosystems, and posing significant engineering challenges. Over the past two centuries, research has advanced from early fluvial observations to sophisticated theoretical and computational models that predict sediment behavior under diverse flow conditions. Key milestones include Brahms’ and Gilbert’s foundational work, the development of the Shields diagram, and the rise of computational fluid dynamics, all of which have deepened our understanding of sediment entrainment, transport, and deposition. In natural and engineered environments, complex interactions between flow, sediment, and structure drive phenomena such as sediment sorting, river meandering, and various types of scour. Scour—whether caused by flow acceleration, wake vortices, or high-velocity jets—can critically impact the stability of hydraulic infrastructure, making its study essential for resilient engineering design and environmental management.

This Article Collection of the Journal of Hydraulic Research, titled Hydraulics of Sediment Transport and Scour, aims to showcase recent theoretical, numerical, fieldwork-based, and experimental advancements in this dynamic field. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: sediment threshold, bedload transport, bed armoring and sorting, water-worked beds, suspended-load transport, total-load transport, streambed instabilities, bedforms, meandering and braided streams, aggradation/degradation, scour within channel contractions, scour beneath pipelines, scour downstream of hydraulic structures, jet-induced scour, pier scour, abutment scour, and the influence of turbulence on sediment transport and scour processes. While the collection emphasizes fundamental research, submissions addressing unconventional or emerging applications of broad relevance, including insights into new physics and mechanics of sediment transport and scour, as well as perspective and state-of-the-art review articles, are also highly encouraged.