Hydraulics and morphodynamics of a meandering channel with angled baffles

Abstract Riverbank protection is essential in areas vulnerable to erosion that could lead to economic and environmental losses. Baffles are one of the riverbank protection techniques in river engineering. The presence of baffles significantly reduces riverbank erosion, but their effects on flow patterns is not thoroughly examined. Therefore, an experimental investigation on the flow patterns and morphological changes due to presence of baffles in a meandering channel was conducted in the Hydraulics Laboratory, Faculty of Civil Engineering, UTM Johor Bahru. Two discharge rates of 0.19 L/s and 0.36 L/s, and two angled baffles, set at 20° and 40° were investigated. Hydraulic parameters such as Manning’s n , velocity distribution, and morphological changes in the channel were examined. The findings revealed that the baffles induced an additional flow resistance in the channel up to 67%. Additionally, the presence of baffles significantly altered the velocity distribution, erosion and deposition processes. The baffles effectively protected riverbanks only when placed at optimum angle under specific discharges. This study enhances understanding of flow characteristics and highlights the effectiveness of baffles in riverbank protection.