3-D numerical simulation of the influences of bank erosion processes on navigation conditions: case study of the Taipingkou Waterway on the middle Yangtze River

Riverbank erosion occurs frequently on the middle Yangtze River, which may result in the instability of the channel navigation. A new riverbank erosion model for the cohesive material was developed by considering the effects of adjacent cohesion. On the basis of 3-D flow and sediment transport model and the mechanisms of riverbank erosion, a 3-D morphological model for the Taipingkou Waterway on the middle Yangtze River was developed by using the adaptive grid system. The 3-D model was calibrated by the observed data, and the simulated results agreed with the measured data. The influences of riverbank erosion processes on the navigation conditions were simulated by the numerical model. The developed model is able to calculate the complex morphological changes due to bank erosion. Bed degradation and bank erosion are enhanced with less sediment load input. Simulated results indicated that the riverbank stability of Lalinzhou is critical for the stability of navigation conditions on the Taipingkou Waterway.