Critical erosion velocity

Relationships of critical erosion velocity to void ratio and grain size. From Axelsson 2002 (Geo-Marine Letters 21/4).

The erosion of fine-grained and more or less cohesive sediments is very complicated and poorly understood. The erosion resistance of fine-grained, water-saturated sediments may be estimated by the erosion diagram above which relates critical erosion velocity to void ratio and grain size. The resistance to erosion increases during the process of compaction because of the expulsion of water from the interstices between sediment grains under load. The interparticle electrochemical forces increase in strength with packing and with increasing specific surface area of the deposits. Therefore, void ratio as a measure of compaction, and grain size as a measure of specific surface area are the two most crucial physical parameters in studies of the erosion resistance of more or less cohesive, water-saturated sediments. The relationship of void ratio to water content and bulk density (exemplified by some tabulated values) was used to calculate probable void-ratio values for water saturated sediments.

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