Existing particle tracking models predict vertical displacement of particles based on the terminal settling velocity in the stagnant water. However, experimental results of the present study confirmed that the settling velocity of particles is influen...
Existing particle tracking models predict vertical displacement of particles based on the terminal settling velocity in the stagnant water. However, experimental results of the present study confirmed that the settling velocity of particles is influenced by the turbulence effects in turbulent flow, consistent with the previous studies. The settling velocity of particles and turbulent characteristics were measured by using PTV and PIV methods, respectively, in order to establish relationship between the particle settling velocity and the ambient turbulence. It was observed that the settling velocity increase rate starts to grow when the particle diameter is of the same order as Kolmogorov length scale. Compared with the previous studies, the present study shows that the graphs of the settling velocity increase rate according to the Stokes number have concave shapes for each particle density. In conclusion, since the settling velocity in the natural flow is faster than in the stagnant water, the existing particle tracking model may estimate a relatively long time for particles to reach the river bed. Therefore, the results of the present study can help improve the performance of particle tracking models.