Experimental Study on Silt Transport Due to Waves for Prediction of Navigation Channel Deposition in Taihu Lake

The study on the sediment transport due to waves is necessary for prediction of deposition of waterway. Owing to the lack of appropriate formula for calculation of suspended sediment load in Taihu Lake under wave action, an experimental study on transport of silt collected from Taihu Lake is conducted by using a wave flume. In this paper, the process of entrainment and suspension of silt is quantitatively described, and detailed measurements of suspended sediment profiles are carried out for each run of the experiments. Based on the test results, an empirical relationship for calculation of the mean suspended load on waves is presented. The verification results of a case study show that the present equation is satisfying to be used in prediction of sediment deposition of waterway in Taihu Lake.