Validación de la relación de Bathurst para el factor de fricción de ríos de montaña con lecho de grava mediante experimentación en el canal multipropósito del Campus Balzay

Abstract

The present study deals with the validation of the Bathurst relation for the determination of the friction factor in mountain rivers with gravel beds for discharge flows of 90, 100, 110, and 120 l/s; slope of 0.04 m/m and for the characteristic diameter of gravel particles of 38.1 mm; through experimental tests in the multipurpose channel of the Balzay campus of the University of Cuenca. The results obtained from the Bathurst relation were correlated with friction factors calculated using the shear stress theory. This correlation shows that, for the present study, the Bathurst relation can be applied to the cases presented, thereby extending its range of applicability. The study includes the analysis of bed load transport as a primary measurement. Experimental tests were validated and correlated with well-established relationships commonly used for this type of study, including the Meyer-Peter & Müller equation, Einstein equation, Schoklitsch equation, Nielsen equation, and Carrillo equation. Notably, Carrillo's formulation and validation studies are particularly significant, as they were conducted for mountain rivers in the region.