Approximate Analytical Solution and Laboratory Experiments for Dam-Break Wave Tip Region in Triangular Channels

Abstract

Solutions for dam-break flow mainly developed for rectangular channels are not applicable to prediction of the propagation of the dam-break wave in frictional triangular channels. This study presents an approximate solution considering the frictional effect on the dam-break flow in a dry horizontal triangular channel. Wave tip velocity is solved by an implicit formula for the product of time and resistance coefficients. All other hydraulic properties in the wave tip region can be expressed as explicit functions of wave tip velocity. Meanwhile, laboratory experiments have been performed for obtaining water surface profiles of dam-break flow from which the position and velocity of the wave tip front have been derived. Results show that retardation of the wave front position is more significant with the increases in both resistance and time. The proposed analytical solution shows satisfactory agreement with measurements, and clarifies how the behavior of the dam-break wave tip is affected by channel geometry.