[1] Roughness of successively developed armor layers in a large laboratory flume is analyzed considering gravel surfaces as two-dimensional random fields of bed elevations. Statistically derived roughness parameters are evaluated from precise digital elevation models (DEMs) of bed surfaces and are discussed with respect to successive development of stable armor layers. The key results relate to evolution of the probability distribution of bed elevations and its moments and structure functions of various orders with respect to armoring discharge. Our results suggest that statistical analysis of bed elevations is a helpful tool for defining roughness parameters, quantifying armoring effects, and identifying particle orientation, flow direction, and surface-forming processes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.