ABSTRACT
The numerical movable-bed experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of particle shapes on the transport of gravel particles. The river-bed materials used in the numerical experiment were three kinds of particles with the same nominal diameter (70 mm) and different shapes (Thin, Rod, Sphere). The analysis of the fundamental movement process of sediment transport revealed the importance of particle shape on the pick-up process in comparison with the particle velocity. Non-spherical particles form the imbrication and clusters which make the river-bed stabilize, and reduce the pick-up volume compared to that of spherical particles. In particular, the difference in the pick-up rate between thin and rod particles is considerable under high tractive force.
