Calibration of a diffusion model for aggrading channel after sediment overloading experiments with near-critical flow

The present work focuses on the sediment aggradation problem, that in turn may lead to the increase of hydraulic hazard. Various mathematical approaches have been documented in the literature to predict the aggradation process in riverbeds. In this regard, several studies have focused on deriving an analytical solution for a parabolic diffusion equation. In the present work, an analytical Fourier-series solution proposed by Gill in 1983 was applied to analyze 18 aggradation experiments, carried out at the Mountain Hydraulics Laboratory of the Politecnico di Milano (Lecco campus) using lightweight sediment material.