Influence of turbulent horseshoe vortex and associated bed shear stress on sediment transport in front of a cylinder

•The THV-induced fluctuations of bed shear stress are comparable to those of mean.•The PDF of instantaneous bed shear stress exhibits a double-peaked distribution.•Sediment transport rate based on mean bed shear stress is underestimated.•A relationship between sediment transport and THV-induced fluctuations is established. This study concerns the flow and associated sediment transport in front of a cylinder in steady currents. The study comprises (i) flow characteristics induced by the turbulent horseshoe vortex (THV), (ii) bed shear stress within the THV region, and (iii) predicted sediment transport rates. The velocity fields in front of a wall-mounted circular cylinder were measured using time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV). The flow characteristics show that two time-averaged THVs are formed, and the dynamics of instantaneous THVs exhibit a quasi-periodic process from generation to death. Both the mean and fluctuations of bed shear stress within the THV region are significantly amplified, and their values are comparable. The probability density function of the instantaneous bed shear stress exhibits a double-peaked distribution and cannot be represented by the normally-used log-normal distribution for uniform channel-open flows. The comparisons of sediment transport rates where turbulent fluctuations in the bed shear stress are, or are not, taken into account show that the sediment transport rates calculated by the mean bed shear stress are under-predicted. Furthermore, a new sediment transport model incorporating the influence of bed shear stress fluctuations is proposed and validated by comparing the initial scour rate in front of the cylinder.