Keck Hydraulics Laboratory

Through a grant from the Keck Foundation, the Department has been able to install a 9 meter long recirculating Hydraulics flume.  This device allows students and faculty to model river behavior, examine sediment depositional environments, and create sedimentary bedforms (ripples, dunes, etc).  The flume has been used in numerous research and teaching situations.  It has even been used to model the dynamics of a river in Honduras for the Engineers without Borders chapter on Campus.

The flume was built and installed by Engineering Laboratory Design Inc. of Lake City, MN.

The 8 tons of sand that are available for the flume were generously donated by Ricci Brothers Sand. 

Flume with 50cm channel for bedform creation

Flume at full 2 meter width showing braided channel patterns