Evaluation of Supercritical/Subcritical Flows in High‐Gradient Channel
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 118, Issue 8
Abstract
The Quail Creek Dike failure flood, near Hurricane, Utah, which occurred December 31, 1988, and January 1, 1989, affords the opportunity to evaluate the hydraulics of a high‐gradient channel. For the first mile (1.6 km) downstream from the dike, this unnamed channel has an average slope of 0.032 until it enters the Virgin River at a point where the average channel slope is 0.003. Model‐computed depths and discharges are compared with field‐measured depths and indirect discharge measurements. Initially, flows are modeled as supercritical in the 1‐mi (1.6‐km) reach having a 0.032 channel slope. However, the field‐measured depths can be reconstructed only by modeling the complete reach as subcritical. This paper questions whether supercritical flows occur in natural channels except for very short distances.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 118 • Issue 8 • August 1992
Pages: 1107 - 1118
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 ASCE.
History
Published online: Aug 1, 1992
Published in print: Aug 1992
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