History of Fluvial Hydraulics

Book excerpt: Fluvial Hydraulics Deals With The Hydraulics Of Rivers Flowing Through Credible Material And Transporting Some Of The Material With Them. It Encompasses Mechanics Of Sediment Transportation, Channel Hydraulics, And Channel Formation, Geometry, And Changes In Alluvial Rivers. Even Though The Earlier Civilizations Faced Problems Relating To Alluvial Rivers, The Science Of Fluvial Hydraulics Started Taking Shape Only About 300 Years Back; The Significant Contributions To This Subject Have Been Made Only During The Past Two Centuries.This Book Briefly Outlines The Developments In Fluvial Hydraulics And Gives To The Men Of The Past And Present, Who Have Contributed To The Development Of The Subject, Their Just Due. The Major Emphasis In The Book Being On Hydraulic Aspects, The Peripheral Topics, Such As Erosion And Drainage Patterns, Are Only Briefly Mentioned. It Is Hoped That This Book Will Stimulate Others To Collect Additional Information On The Subject Which Can Form The Basis For A More Exhaustive Record Of The History Of Fluvial Hydraulics.