Verification of Theory for Oblique Standing Waves

Changes in section or alinement of open channels flowing at supercritical velocities produce depth changes that may be abrupt or gradual depending on the type of wave produced. A series of experiments was undertaken to verify the hydrodynamic theory for both oblique hydraulic jumps and expansion waves with Froude numbers ranging from two to seven. The position of the standing waves caused by a wall deflection and the associated depth changes were observed and compared with existing theory. The average agreement was of the order of 2 % for oblique jumps with a somewhat larger discrepancy for the expansions, depending on the magnitude of the wall deflection.