The sedimentation trap is a plate trap that has been produced by UGT GmbH under licence from IGB Berlin, and which is used to measure the sedimentation of fine organic and inorganic particles found on the beds of bodies of water. The defining hydrodynamic conditions of the beds of bodies of water are reproduced through the design and arrangement of the plate traps, and the sedimentation rates in moving water (e.g. rivers, shallow seas, seabed, canals and harbour basins) are measured under the effect of gravity and soil shearing stress. At the end of the exposure period the deposited material is transported to the inside of the sedimentation trap by lowering the mobile piston. The roof seals the sedimentation trap in this position and prevents material getting lost when the trap is lifted out of the water. The movement of the piston is pneumatic. A hand pump is recommended for simple use in the field. The hose connection provided for this has an inner diameter of 4 mm. It consists of a vertically mobile piston whose upper surface constitutes the collecting surface. When the water charged with sedimentary particles sweeps past the upstream approach rim, a boundary layer develops under the impact of shearing stress similar to that at the bottom of the water. The particles settle on the collecting surface in relation to these conditions. A rigid roof connected to the piston protects the deposited sediment from external influences.

Advantages

• The recording of sedimentation under realistic conditions
• Installation possible at any height