TY  - JOUR
T1  - Particle Size-Dependent Cohesion of Sands: Insights from a Fluidized Bed Approach
AU  - Akbulut, Ahmet
AU  - Deviren Saygın, Selen
AU  - Arı, Fikret
PY  - 2025
DA  - July
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.15832/ankutbd.1637552
JF  - Journal of Agricultural Sciences
JO  - J Agr Sci-Tarim Bili
PB  - Ankara University
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 1300-7580
SP  - 863
EP  - 872
VL  - 31
IS  - 3
LA  - en
AB  - Erosion dynamics in channels are significantly influenced by the interaction between frictional forces among sand particles and hydrodynamic shear stresses exerted by flowing water. Understanding how particle size affects cohesion and resistance to entrainment is crucial for accurate sediment transport modeling and erosion control. This study quantifies the mechanical cohesion characteristics of sand particles across different size classes using a fluidized bed approach. Cohesion was assessed by measuring the pressure drop (ΔP) at the fluidization point (ΔPf) and the corresponding flow velocity (Vf) through sensor-based precise measurements. Five sand classes—very coarse sand (VCS), coarse sand (CS), medium sand (MS), fine sand (FNS), and very fine sand (VFNS)—were tested under controlled hydraulic conditions. Results indicate that cohesion (Co) decreases with decreasing particle size, confirming the strong correlation between particle size and internal friction. The highest cohesion values were observed in VCS (23268 Pa m⁻¹), while VFNS exhibited the lowest (8881 Pa m⁻¹). Conversely, the fluidization velocity followed an inverse trend, with coarser particles requiring higher velocities for entrainment. These findings align with previous research on sediment stability and suggest that finer sands are more prone to mobilization under lower shear stresses. Additionally, findings highlight implications for channel stability and erosion control strategies, particularly in environments where sediment mobilization influences hydrological and geomorphological processes. The integration of these findings into prevailing models, such as the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP), facilitates a more accurate assessment of soil resistance to detachment and transport. This incorporation could facilitate more precise predictions of sediment transport dynamics, particularly in contexts where particle size and friction forces are pivotal factors. It is acknowledged that laboratory experiments provide precise measurements; nevertheless, it is imperative that they be meticulously evaluated and further validated in natural field conditions.
KW  - Cohesion
KW  - Erosion
KW  - Fluidized-bed approach
KW  - Sand particles
KW  - Sensors
CR  - Abualshar B, Song C R, Wood R L & Hashim A A (2024). The Equivalent Sand Particle Diameter Approach to Rationally Estimate the Erosion Behavior of Fine-Grained Riverbed Soils. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 150(3), 06023012.
CR  - Al-Durrah M M, Bradford J M, (1982). The Mechanism of Raindrop Splash on Soil Surfaces. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1982.03615995004600050040x
CR  - Best J (2005). The fluid dynamics of river dunes: A review and some future research directions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 110(F4).
CR  - Bradley R W & Venditti J G (2017). Reevaluating dune scaling relations. Earth-science reviews, 165: 356-376.
CR  - Cassel M, Lavé J, Recking A, Malavoi J R & Piégay H (2021). Bedload transport in rivers, size matters but so does shape. Scientific Reports, 11(1): 508.
CR  - Cho G C, Dodds J, & Santamarina J. C. (2006). Particle shape effects on packing density, stiffness, and strength: Natural and crushed sands. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 132(5), 591-602. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2006)132:5(591)
CR  - Darcy H (1856). The public fountains of the city of Dijon: Exhibition and application of the principles to be followed and of the formulas to be used in matters of water distribution: Work completed by an appendix relating to the water supplies of several cities, the filtering of water and in the manufacture of cast iron, lead, sheet metal and bitumen pipes. In: (Dalmont, V., eds.), Bookseller of the Imperial Corps of Bridges and Hunting and Mines, Paris, France.
CR  - Deviren Saygin S, Huang C H, Flanagan D C & Erpul G (2018). Process-based soil erodibility estimation for empirical water erosion models. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 56(2): 181-195.
CR  - Deviren Saygin S (2021). Effects of season and phenology-based changes on soil erodibility and other dynamic RUSLE factors for semi-arid winter wheat fields. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 27(4): 526-535.
CR  - Doan T, Indraratna B, Nguyen T T, & Rujikiatkamjorn C (2023). Interactive role of rolling friction and cohesion on the angle of repose through a microscale assessment. International Journal of Geomechanics, 23(1), 04022250.
CR  - Dunn I S (1959). Tractive resistance of cohesive channels. J. Soil Mech. Found. Div.
CR  - Flaxman E M (1963). Channel stability in undisturbed cohesive soils. Hydraulic Division, American Society of Civil Engineers, 89(2): 87–96.
CR  - Flanagan D C, & Nearing M A (1995). USDA-Water Erosion Prediction Project: Hillslope profile and watershed model documentation. USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory Report 10. USDA-ARS NSERL Report No. 10, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
CR  - Garcia M H (2008). "Sediment Transport and Morphodynamics." In Sedimentation Engineering: Processes, Measurements, Modeling, and Practice (Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 110), M. H. Garcia (Ed.), American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA, pp. 21–163.
CR  - Grabowski R C, Droppo I G & Wharton, G. (2011). Erodibility of cohesive sediment: The importance of sediment properties. Earth-Science Reviews, 105(3-4), 101-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.01.008
CR  - Gran K B, Montgomery D R & Sutherland D G (2006). Channel bed evolution and sediment transport under declining sand inputs. Water Resources Research, 42(10).
CR  - Guo Z, Jeng D S, Zhao H, Guo W, Wang L (2019). Effect of seepage flow on sediment incipient motion around a free spanning pipeline. Coast. Eng. 143: 50–62.
CR  - Hjulström F (1935). Studies of the morphological activity of rivers as illustrated by the River Fyris (Doctoral dissertation, The Geological institution of the University of Upsala).
CR  - Lepesqueur J, Hostache R, Martínez-Carreras N, Montargès-Pelletie, E & Hissler C (2019). Sediment transport modelling in riverine environments: on the importance of grain-size distribution, sediment density, and suspended sediment concentrations at the upstream boundary. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 23(9): 3901-3915.
CR  - Mitchell J K & Soga K. (2005). Fundamentals of Soil Behavior (3rd edition). John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Nase S T, Vargas W L, Abatan A A, & McCarthy J J (2001). Discrete characterization tools for cohesive granular material. Powder Technology, 116(2-3), 214-223.
CR  - Lyle W, Smerdon E (1965). Relation of compaction and other soil properties to erosion resistance of soils”, Transactions of the ASAE, https:// doi.org/10.13031/2013.40536
CR  - Nearing M A, West L T (1988). Soil strength indices as indicators of consolidation.Trans. Am. Soc. Agric. Eng. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.30733
CR  - Nicosia A, Carollo F G, Di Stefano C, Palmeri V, Pampalone V, Serio M A, Bagarello V & Ferro V (2024). The Importance of Measuring Soil Erosion by Water at the Field Scale: A Review. Water, 16(23), 3427. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16233427
CR  - Nouwakpo S K, Huang C, Bowling L, Owens P (2010). Impact of Vertical Hydraulic Gradient on Rill Erodibility and Critical Shear Stress. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2009.0096
CR  - Nouwakpo S K, Huang C (2012). A Fluidized Bed Technique for Estimating Soil Critical Shear Stress. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2012.0056
CR  - Nouwakpo S K, Huang C H, Weltz M A, Pimenta F, Chagas I & Lima L (2014). Using fluidized bed and flume experiments to quantify cohesion development from aging and drainage. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 39(6): 749-757.
CR  - Reddi L N, & Bonala M V (1997). Critical shear stress and its relationship with cohesion for sand. kaolinite mixtures. Canadian geotechnical journal, 34(1), 26-33.
CR  - Renard K G, Foster G R, Weesies G A, McCool D K & Yoder D C (1997). Predicting soil erosion by water: A guide to conservation planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). USDA Agricultural Handbook, No. 703.
CR  - Römkens M J, Helming K, Prasad S N (2002). Soil erosion under different rainfall intensities, surface roughness, and soil water regimes. Catena, 46(2): 103-123.
CR  - Osipov V I (2016). Friction and cohesion as multifaceted factors of soil shear resistance. Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, 53, 143-151.
CR  - Shields A (1936). Application of similarity principles and turbulence research to bed-load movement. Soil Conservation Service.
CR  - Soil Survey Staff. (2017). Soil survey manual. USDA Handbook 18. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
CR  - van Damme M (2021). A process-based method for predicting lateral erosion rates. Natural Hazards, 107(1): 375-394.
CR  - Van Rijn L C (1993). Principles of sediment transport in rivers, estuaries and coastal seas. In Aqua publications, vol. 1006. Amsterdam.
CR  - Wei Y, Wu X, & Cai C (2015). Splash erosion of clay–sand mixtures and its relationship with soil physical properties: The effects of particle size distribution on soil structure. Catena, 135, 254-262.
CR  - Wiącek J, Molenda M, Horabik J & Ooi J Y (2012). Influence of grain shape and intergranular friction on material behavior in uniaxial compression: Experimental and DEM modeling, Powder Technology, Volume 217, pp. 435-442, ISSN 0032-5910, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2011.10.060
CR  - Yang L, Zhang M, Jiao W, Wu Y, Zhang C, Wang Z (2023). Influence of intergranular friction weakening on rock avalanche dynamics, Computers and Geotechnics, Volume 159, 105440, ISSN 0266-352X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2023.105440
CR  - Yang W C (2003). Handbook of fluidization and fluid-particle systems. China Particuology 1(3): 137.
Zheng H, Hu X, Shi Z, Shen D & De Haas T (2024). Deciphering controls of pore‐pressure evolution on sediment bed erosion by debris flows. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(5), e2024GL108583.
CR  - Zhu Y, Lu J & Liao H (2008). Research on cohesive sediment erosion by flow: An overview. Sci. China Ser. E-Technol. Sci. 51, 2001–2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-008-0232-4
UR  - https://doi.org/10.15832/ankutbd.1637552
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4599326
ER  -