Surface and Subsurface Flow through Block Ramps
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 3
Abstract
Block ramps are permeable hydraulic structures. Flow that enters the block ramp infiltrates between the blocks and eventually on the porous base material on which the ramp is posed. The percentage rate of subsurface flow with respect to the total flow at the entrance of a block ramp or a rock chute is studied experimentally and analyzed by means of dimensional analysis. This quantity is described as a function of related parameters, such as the total inflow discharge, the particles’ characteristics, the thickness of the base material bed, the geometric characteristics of the block ramp, and the boundary conditions at the toe of the ramp itself. The experimental data were elaborated in order to supply new formulations of the flow discharge through the base ramp material and the block ramp energy dissipation. The amount of energy losses of such structures is essentially a function of the geometry and the bed surface characteristics of the ramp, the hydraulic conditions, and the percentage rate of the subsurface flow.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 3 • June 2009
Pages: 366 - 374
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Mar 10, 2008
Accepted: Sep 4, 2008
Published online: May 15, 2009
Published in print: Jun 2009
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