ABSTRACT
Our contribution to this issue is based on the idea of reducing bed load transport to its essential elements using a two-dimensional model channel. Initially, the motion of a single particle in a water flow was investigated (Ancey et al. 2002) and (Ancey et al. 2003). In the present study we supplied the channel continuously with sediment (spherical glass beads). We were able to take sophisticated measurements by means of image processing and to analyze the results from a physical point of view. We paid special attention to the mobile bed, i.e. the incessant exchange between the moving particles and the bed. This microstructural study provided a deep insight into transport mechanisms.
