Fin Gabions: A Solution for River Bend Stability

River bends are susceptible to sedimentation near the inner bend and erosion near the outer bend due to uneven velocity distribution. This study investigates the effectiveness of fin gabions in mitigating these issues through physical modeling. Five experimental setups were conducted in a laboratory flume: (1) Baseline: A leveled sand bed with regular gabions placed on the outer bend; (2) Lower Fin Gabion: A fin gabion embedded at the lower part of the bend. This setup addresses topography issues encountered in post-simulation of setup 1; (3) Mid-Bend Fin Gabion: An additional fin gabion embedded at the middle of the bend. Topography challenges in post-simulation of setup 2 necessitated this configuration; (4) Reinstalled Gabions: Reinstallation of all gabions from setup 3. This setup is implemented to ensure that the gabion configuration in setup 3 can maintain the baseline without changing significantly; and (5) Surface-Placed Gabions: All gabions placed on the surface without embedding. This setup aims to ensure that the fin gabions are firmly embedded. Results demonstrate that the fin gabion configurations, especially setup 3, significantly reduced sedimentation near the inner bend by up to 72%. This reduction led to a more uniform flow distribution, mitigating erosion at the outer bend. The findings highlight the potential of fin gabions as an effective solution for enhancing river bend stability.