Dynamic characterization of the migration of a mining pit in an alluvial channel

Abstract

Abstract Research on in-channel sand mining is imperative as it may have a significant impact on channel morphology. Following this quest to quantitatively comprehend the phenomenon, experimental studies were done to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the migration of a mining pit. The evaluation of the migration rate of a mining pit in a physical scale model has found a rise in the migration rate of the pit׳s upstream edge with increasing discharge. A wavelet analysis applied for analyzing scale-dependent migration of the bed profile of a mining pit also revealed similar findings. Additionally, the wavelet analysis examined the length-scale dependent migration of a mining pit and a decrease in the migration rate has been observed with an increase in the length scale. The plan form of a pit (length-to-width ratio) governs the erosion and deposition processes around the pit. Both physical and statistical approaches show an increase in the migration rate with an increase in the length-to-width ratio of the pit. An empirical formulation has been developed for calculating the migration rate of the upstream edge of a mining pit based on pit geometry (length-to-width ratio), average flow velocity, and critical shear stress of the bed material. The results also show a higher bed load transport rate in the channel subjected to mining as compared to a plain bed channel.