Incipient motion of sediment by waves

In this paper, the forces acting on sediment particles are analyzed in all the aspects. Considering the cohesive force between particles, the additional static water pressure induced by the solid-body characteristics of film water and the inertia force of waves, a unified formula of the incipient motion for both coarse and fine particles is defined. The formula can reflect the variation in the initial velocity of fine particles with the volume weight of sediment. The verification of the formula is carried out by use of both experimental data and field observation data accumulated by experts at home and abroad. The verification shows that the formula expresses the law governing the incipient motion of sediment of all particle sizes inclusive of natural sediment and light-weight materials, and thus a basic formula for the study and solution of sediment problems in estuarine and coastal regions is provided.