Yang, W.; Yu, M., and Yu, G., 2018. Stratification and rheological properties of near-bed cohesive sediments in West Lake, Hangzhou, China.

To understand the transport of cohesive sediments better, their vertical stratification characteristics must be known. In this study, the nature of the stratification and the rheological properties of near-bed cohesive sediments in West Lake, Hangzhou (China) were investigated. In the first step, basic properties such as concentration, density, and particle size were measured; thereafter, the rheological properties of the sediments were determined, including apparent viscosity, shear stress, and yield stress, under different shear loads. On the basis of the results, the stratification characteristics were analyzed, and the relationship between yield stress and incipient shear stress was evaluated. It was found that the bed sediments showed strong non-Newtonian and shear thinning behavior that can be described by the Carreau rheological model. Findings of particular interest are that the yield stress increased linearly with mud concentration and that the incipient bed shear stress was closely related to the yield stress.