Meanders and Their Bearing on River Training. Maritime and Waterways Engineering Division.

Least action principle, equilibrium states, iterative adjustment and the stability of alluvial channels

“…Because most valleys are steeper than the gradient required for stationary equilibrium river flow, most dynamic systems behave by maximizing energy expenditure. This explains why the extremal hypotheses of maximum energy expenditure, maximum friction factor, maximum flow resistance or maximum rate of energy dissipation have each been proposed as the fundamental principle governing alluvial channel flow (see, e.g., Jefferson, 1902;Schoklitsch, 1937;Inglis, 1947;Sutherland, 1980, 1983;Huang, 1983Huang, , 1988Abrahams et al, 1995;Lamberti, 1988;Phillips, 1991;Eaton et al, 2004). However, these extremal hypotheses are valid only if they deal specifically with the excess portion of available energy, or E − E min , when E > E min .…”

Channel Restoration Design for Meandering Rivers

“…Based on field observations, Inglis (1947) considered that flows at or near the bankfull stage might approximate the dominant discharge. Further investigations in the 1950s and 1960s documented the consistency in the frequency of bankfull discharge for rivers with active floodplains Dury, 1959Dury, , 1961Dury etal., 1961;Leopold et al, 1964;Woodyer, 1968).…”

“…In the 1940s and 1950s, engineers were faced with the problem of how to translate one-dimensional, process-form relationships into a variable discharge system for investigating the geomorphology and mechanics of alluvial rivers. 'Channel-forming' flow theory argues that there is a unique flow which, over a prolonged period, would theoretically yield the same bankfull morphology that is shaped by the natural sequence of flows (early references include Inglis, 1941Inglis, , 1947Inglis, , 1949bBlench 1952Blench , 1957Charlton, 1970a, 1970b;Hey 1975;Bray, 1975). This unique flow is often termed the 'dominant discharge' (after Inglis, 1941Inglis, ,1947:…”

A Natural Channel Design Approach to Stream Restoration on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands

“…Channel forming discharge theory states that there is a unique flow that over a long period of time would yield the same channel morphology that is shaped by the natural sequence of flows. At this discharge, equilibrium is most closely approached and the tendency to change is the least (Inglis, 1947). Uses of the channel forming discharge include channel stability assessment, river management using hydraulic geometry relationships, and natural channel design (Soar and Thorne, 2001).…”