A 3-D-printed precision sediment feed

Abstract

Reproducible and regulated sediment feed rates are necessary for many flume experiments. A sediment feed mechanism capable of precisely providing a wide range of feed rates was developed for this purpose. It was constructed using wood, aluminum, and 3-D-printed components. It is powered by a stepper motor and controlled by an Arduino, and is easily programmable. Commercially available sediment feeds use augers or vibrating trays to move sediment; in contrast, this feed employs the novel design of a slotted wheel. While some commercially available sediment feeds can handle a wider variety of grain sizes, the error of their output (vol/t) tends to be slightly higher than the error of this feed's output, and this feed can deliver sediment over a much wider range of delivery rates. The most notable advantage of this sediment feed is that the cost of materials is only about $300 U.S.