Course Overview

This graduate course introduces sediment transport as a fluid–particle interaction process within fluid mechanics. Topics include sediment entrainment, transport, deposition, and their implications for channel stability, scour, sedimentation, water quality, and aquatic systems.

Course Outline

  • Introduction
  • Sediment properties
  • Review of Fluid Mechanics
  • Particle settling
  • Scour criteria and design of stable channels
  • Alluvial bed forms and flow resistance
  • Bed load
  • Suspended load
  • Total load
  • Cohesive Sediment
  • Channel aggregation and degradation (HEC-RAS Program)
  • Overland erosion processes
  • Reservoir sedimentation and management
  • Solids deposition and flushing in sewers
  • Bridge scour prediction and protection
  • Dam removal and stream restoration

(Outline may evolve over time.)

Lecture Materials

Topic 1: Introduction

Topic 2: Sediment Properties

Topic 3: Review of Fluid Mechanics

Topic 4: Particle Settling Velocity

Topic 5: Scour Criteria and Design of Stable Channels

Topic 6: Alluvial Bed Forms and Flow Resistance

Topic 7: Bed Load

(The briefing document, slide deck, and infographic linked above were generated using NotebookLM based on my original Spring 2026 lecture slides. These AI-generated materials are intended to support review, synthesis, and reflection, but they do not replace the original lecture slides. The original slides remain the authoritative and most complete course materials and should be used to guide homework assignments and other coursework. Please contact me if you need access to the original slides or additional course resources.)

Notes on Use

These materials are intended primarily for instructional purposes. Students and colleagues are welcome to reference them with appropriate attribution. For course requirements, the original lecture materials should be treated as the authoritative source.