Sediment Threshold under Stream Flow: A State-of-the-Art Review

The doctoral research of Albert Frank Shields on sediment movement conducted in Technischen Hochshcule Berlin becomes a legend that is most often referred by many authors and has initiated a sizable number of researches over last seven decades. The Shields diagram is famous due to its application in ascertaining the threshold of sediment motion that is an essential prerequisite for the estimation of sediment transport in an alluvial stream. Since his pioneering work, numerous attempts have so far been made to study the sediment threshold both experimentally and theoretically. This paper presents a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of the important laboratory experimental and theoretical investigations on sediment threshold under steady stream flow highlighting the empirical concepts, hydrodynamic background and the mathematical treatment of the problem. The role of the turbulent bursting on sediment threshold is also discussed.