CEE 599: MODELING

SEDIMENT
TRANSPORT USING
HEC-RAS
STABLE CHANNEL DESIGN

Roxanne J Carini
Spring 2016

Choices for
computing n

Manning
Kuelegan
Strickler
Limneros
Brownlie
Soil Conservation Service

Manning

Kuelegan
Recall Chezy C, related to n:

Strickler

Upper
Regime v.
Lower
Regime

Limneros
Upper Regime (Gravels & Cobbles) only!!

Brownlie

Soil
Conservation
Service
Manning n versus VRH for 5 grass
classes

Stable
Channel
Design
Methods

Copeland based in Brownlies

work (~7,000 lab and field
records)
Regime theory from study of
irrigation canals in Pakistan and
India
Tractive Force method
analytical shear stress balance

Copeland

Predicts channel parameters and whether

bed is aggrading or degrading (eroding)
based on the following variables:
Grain-related Froude number
Critical grain related Froude number
Slope
Bed hydraulic radius
Median grain size (D50)
Sediment gradation coefficient (standard
deviation of gradation)
Kinematic viscosity
Manning n for side slopes

Regime
Theory
(Blench)

Mostly works for the uniform steady flow

sand bed trapezoidal channels for which it
was developed.

Tractive
Force
Method

Calculates uniform shear on a slice of

the channel.
Compares this with a critical tractive force
Either from Shields analysis:

Tractive
Force
Balance
from Lane

Tractive
Force from
Lane

HEC-RAS
Tutorial

Stable
Channel
Design
Functions

1. Allow users to easily

compute the hydraulic
parameters of a given cross
section.
2. Use that information to
design a stable channel
with regard to its size and
armoring.
3. Determine the sediment
transport capacity of that cross
section.

Uniform Flow
Computations
Open Hydraulic Design Functions
window
Select Type Uniform Flow
HEC-RAS will automatically select a
cross section (XS) from the geometry
file to display. User can choose any XS
from the dropdown menu.
S/Q/y/n tab: calculate normal slope,
discharge, depth, and roughness for
the current XS
Width tab: calculate bottom width
for uniform flow in a user-defined
compound channel

Solve for
S/Q/y/n
Enter 2 out of 3 fields (Slope,
Discharge, W/S Elev) and
solve for the third.
Roughness, n: Automatically
taken from geometry file, but
can be changed. Function to
define roughness can be
chosen (6 options).
Do not need to define n
everywhere, only where it
changes.

Solve for
S/Q/y/n

Roughness options: Manning, Keulegan, Strickler,

Limerinos, Brownlie, Grass-lined channels
Limerinos & Brownlie require gradation distribution
(only applied to main channel) d85, d50, d16
Brownlie requires sediment specific gravity =2.65
Kuelegan requires temperature
COMPUTE button will not become active until all
necessary parameters have been entered!
To solve for roughness, click on and delete only one
roughness value in the table. HEC-RAS will then
compute a Mannings n value to satisfy the uniform
flow equation for the portion of XS that is desired.
Then the roughness value is back-calculated to
match the selected roughness function.
Computed value will appear in bold.

Solve for
Bottom Width
Only occurs when user defines
compound channel.
Only trapezoidal compound channel
supported, with up to three levels:
low flow channel, main channel,
overbank channel.
Bottom width, B, of main channel or
overbank channel may be solved for.
Subtraction or addition of width may
be applied to right of centerline, left
of centerline, or equally to both sides.

Solve for
Bottom Width
SSL/ SSR: Side slope of left/ right of channel
WL/ WR: Bottom width of left/ right side of channel from
centerline to the toe of side slope
Height: Distance from to top of side slope of a respective
channel (low flow channel, main channel, overbank channel)
Invert: invert of a respective channel
Click Apply Geometry to plot the data.
Default Mannings n applied in Station-Elevation table below.
User may change these as before, but do so in the Width tab.
Click Apply Geometry after making any changes.

Solve for
Bottom Width

Enter energy slope, discharge, and water

surface elevation in appropriate fields.
Select Compute Widths and choose how:
Solve for main channel or overbank channel
Apply computed width left of CL only, right of CL only,
or centered equally (Total)

When all required data entered, COMPUTE

button will become active. Click it!
Unrealistic Geometries: Bottom width of upper
channel cannot become less than top width of
the channel below it.
Acceptable Geometries: Top width of lower
channel can become greater than bottom width
of channel above it. HEC-RAS automatically
increases the upper channels bottom width to
compensate.

Solve for
Bottom Width

Click Copy XS to Geometric Data.

Enter the river station you want this XS to be
applied to. If the river station already
contains a XS, will be asked if you want to
replace it. If not, XS will be added and
distances between the XSs will be adjusted.
Must check bed elevations to ensure all are
referenced to the same datum.
Go to Geometry window, click Cross Sections
button.
Select Options Adjust Elevations

File SAVE!!! in the Hydraulic Design

Uniform Flow window.

Stable
Channel
Design

Open Hydraulic Design Functions window

Select Type Stable Channel Design

Copeland
Method
Choose Copeland tab.
Set Design Discharge.
Fill in other Required Input, including
Gradation.
Choose Manning or Strickler to compute
roughness n or k.
Optional Input includes choosing Default,
Upper, or Lower Regime. HEC-RAS will report
if Transitional Regime found in calculations,
although it will still use whichever method you
chose (upper or lower).

Copeland
Method

Once all Design section inputs complete,

click Inflow Sediment button to add
information about the upstream sediment
concentrations that will enter your Design
section.
Option 1: Set Inflow Sediment Concentration.
Option 2: Ask HEC-RAS to calculate Inflow
Sediment Concentration.
Enter necessary inputs for the Supply Reach.
Click OK.

When all required data entered, COMPUTE

button will become active. Click it!
Will receive 20 different options for Stable
Channel Design!

Copeland
Output
Select one to view
plot.
Click OK.

Copeland
Output
Once computation
run, these buttons
will activate.
Click to see Table
again.
Click to see
Stability Curves.
Click to Copy
results into
Geometry File.

Regime
Theory
Choose Regime tab and fill in Required Input.
Side Factor based on Blench work: 0.1 for friable
banks, 0.2 for silty, clayey, or loamy banks, or 0.3 for
tough clay banks. Default value is 0.2.
When all required data entered, COMPUTE button will
become active. Click it!
The Stable Channel Regime values for depth, width, and
slope will be solved for and will appear in their
appropriate fields.
Plot window will display resulting XS.
Click Copy XS to Geometric Data to add XS as before.

Tractive
Force Method
Choose Tractive Force tab and fill in Required Input.
Angle of Repose: see RM Figure 12-9 for suggested
values.
Choose method with which to solve or critical shear:
Lane or Shields.
Remaining values are dependent variables. Only two
can be solved for at a time. Must provide other two.
(Note: all three fields for particle diameter are
considered just one variable.)
When all required data entered, COMPUTE button will
become active. Click it!
Plot window will display resulting XS.

Next Time...

1. Allow users to easily compute

the hydraulic parameters of a
given cross section.
2. Use that information to design
a stable channel with regard to
its size and armoring.
3. Determine the sediment
transport capacity of that
cross section.

Sediment
Transport
Capacity

Example
Setup
Open BEAVCREK.prj project file in HEC-RAS.
Run Steady Flow Analysis with:
Geometry File: Bvr. Cr. + Bridge P/W: New Le, Lc
Steady Flow File: Beaver Cr. 3 Flows

Run subcritical steady flow analysis.

Save Plan File.
View water surface profile plot with all 3
flows.

Hydraulic
Design

Click HD button.
Choose Type Sediment Transport
Capacity.
Sediment Reach: Series of cross-sections for
which sediment transport capacity is
computed.
Can have multiple Sediment Reaches within one
River Reach, but they cannot overlap.
Cannot have a Sediment Reach span more than
one River Reach.

File New Sediment Reach: Name the

reach and define its spatial extent (river,
reach, US RS, DS RS)

Save and Define

Sediment Reach
File Save Hydraulic Design
Data As... And name the file.
River = Beaver Creek
Reach = Kentwood
US RS = 5.99 (US most XS)
DS RS = 5.49 (just US of bridge)
Profiles = select all 3 flows
Temperature = 55 F
Specific Gravity = 2.65
Concentration Fines (optional)

Define Sediment
Reach
Bed Stations: XS stations that
separate LOB from main channel
and ROB from main channel for
sediment transport
computations.
Default = main bank stations
Values can be changed for every XS
in sediment reach
Appear as yellow nodes and
bracketed by Mobile Bed (MB)
arrows at top of plot

Bed Station Left = 866

Bed Station Right = 948

Define Sediment
Reach

Functions = Check boxes for whichever

functions youd like HEC-RAS to use to
compute sediment transport.
When you select a function, the dialog box
below lists its specifications and
assumptions. Really helpful for deciding
which is most appropriate for your river!!!

Define
Sediment Reach

Gradation = User can enter up to 50 particle

size/ percent finer relationships. Right-click to
expand the chart. Typically 5-10 gradation points
is sufficient. If a 0% and 100% diameter are not
specified, HEC-RAS will use first and last
specified diameters for those percentages,
respectively.
Enter Gradation from HW 3 and 4 into the LOB,
Main Channel, and ROB charts.
Plot Gradation = graphical representation of %
Finer versus grain size curve

Compute
Sediment
Transport

Choose Compute for this Sediment Reach,

or Compute for all Sediment Reaches, if youve
created more than one and they all have the
same conditions.
Options Menu:
Fall Velocity: Default chooses method used in the
research of the selected function(s).

Options = Toffaleti, Van Rijn, Rubey

Depth/Width: Default chooses depth/width

combination used in the research of the selected
function(s).

Options = Effective Depth/ Effective Width, Hydraulic

Depth/ Top Width, Hydraulic Radius/ Top Width

Compute for Small Grains Outside Applicable

Range: Default for HEC-RAS to perform calculations
for grain sizes which are smaller than the applicable
range for a given transport function. Select No to
override and only make computations within the
applicable range for each transport function (Table
12.7 in RM).

Compute
Sediment
Transport

Click Apply anytime to save current

changes to the file.
Click Compute once all specifications are
made.
Click Close once computations finished.
Use Sediment Rating Curve Plot button
to view plot of sediment transport capacity
rates for a selected cross section within a
sediment reach.
Use Sediment Transport Profile Plot
button to view sediment transport capacity
rates along a selected sediment reach.

Sediment
Rating
Curve

Sediment
Transport
Profile

Report
River Station: choose
amongst those within the
sediment reach (5.99 to 5.49
here)
Sediment Reach: choose
sediment reach (only 1 here)
Profiles: choose all or only
select certain flows (3 flows
here)
Functions: choose from those
computed
Subsections: Total, LOB,
Main, ROB
Grain Size: All, or only

Click Report button within each plot window

to get table of results with description.
Report will show only those results selected
and plotted on the graph.

In Class
Exercise

1. Create 2 Sediment Reaches: one from USmost RS to just US of bridge, the other
from just DS of bridge to DS-most RS.
2. Choose 3 Sediment transport functions to
run and compare.
3. Answer these questions:
. Which station has the highest sediment
transport capacity? Which has the lowest?
. Is this what you would expect based on the
results for velocities, shear stress, stream
power etc.?
. If you had to actually assess a value for
sediment transport capacity, which of the
methods would you choose? Why?