Investigation on the performance of geobag revetments in rivers

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Geotextile sand filled bags (geobags) are often used for erosion protection and flood control in river and coastal**engineering. They are price competitive, environment-friendly, and can be more stable in the long term as**compared to some conventional materials. Previous research mostly focused on their application in coastal**engineering whereas there is a knowledge gap in the river context. The proposed project is the first phase of a**research collaboration between the University of Alberta and Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd. (NHC) that**aims to enhance our understanding of how geobags and the water flows interact. NHC is one of the leading**consulting companies in water resources engineering. The company has been working on the design and**construction of large-scale geobag river revetments in Bangladesh for almost two decades. It has been noticed**that the geobags are being oversized using the existing formulas. This collaborative research will develop a**better formula for sizing the geobags taking into account the hydraulic loads exerted by water flows at the bag**surface. Adopting this solution will significantly reduce the construction cost and risk of flood damage. The**outputs from this collaboration will greatly increase the possibility of using geobags as a primary way to protect**eroding riverbanks, leading to more sustainable erosion control across Canada.**The first phase of the research project will utilize numerical model in conjunction with laboratory experiments**to develop an improved sizing formula. The company will be conducting the experiments and providing data**for calibrating and validating the numerical model. The validated model will then be used to analyze the**hydraulic loads exerted on the geobag surface and develop the sizing formula. In the second phase of the**research, numerical modelling and parallel field observations will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of**laboratory experiments in field situations. Field observations will be led by the partner company at selected**sites on the Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh. Findings from this research will enhance our understanding of the**performance of geobag revetments in rivers.