EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF TURBID WATER IN CANALS ON UNDERWATER ULTRASONIC ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENTS

Abrasion occurs on the concrete surfaces of irrigation canals because of the flow of water and sand. Abrasion increases the roughness of the concrete surface. Increased roughness reduces water flow function. Underwater ultrasonic roughness measurements estimate roughness from the peak-to-peak strength of reflected underwater ultrasonic waves. However, the effect of turbid water flowing in a canal on peak-to-peak strength has been unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of turbid water on underwater ultrasonic roughness measurements. The characteristics of the attenuation of the peak-to-peak strength of underwater ultrasonic waves were investigated as a function of the particle size and concentration of suspended solids. The suspended solids used in the experiments were kaolin with a particle size of 0.5 mu m and alumina with particle sizes of 2, 4, and 8 mu m. Peak-to-peak strength was measured as a function of the concentration of each particle size. The experimental results indicated that peak-to-peak strength was attenuated only with increasing concentrations of suspended solids and was not affected by particle size. A proposed correction equation for peak-to-peak strength took into consideration the concentration of suspended solids in turbid water. The coefficient of determination R-2 between this equation and measured data was as high as 0.98. Using this correction equation, peak-to-peak strength without turbidity could be calculated from peak-to-peak strength measured in turbid water. It is thus possible to make effective use of underwater ultrasonic roughness measurements in turbid water.