Hydraulics, Air Entrainment, and Energy Dissipation on a Gabion Stepped Weir
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 9
Abstract
In the last decades the design of stepped spillways regained some interest because of their suitability with new construction methods including gabions. The hydraulic performances of gabion stepped weirs were investigated experimentally in terms of the flow patterns, air-water flow properties, and energy dissipation. A laboratory study was conducted in a 26.6° slope (1V:2H) and 0.10-m step height facility, with both smooth impervious and gabion steps. The visual observations highlighted the seepage flow through the gabions, inducing a modification of the cavity flow especially in the skimming flow regime. In skimming flows, higher velocities were measured at the downstream end of the gabion stepped chute, associated with smaller energy dissipation rates and lower friction factors, compared to the smooth impervious stepped chute data.
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Acknowledgments
The writers acknowledge the people who assisted with the experiments and the technical staff of the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Queensland. The financial support of the Australian Research Council (Grant DP120100481) is acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 140 • Issue 9 • September 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 18, 2014
Accepted: May 6, 2014
Published online: Jun 17, 2014
Published in print: Sep 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Nov 17, 2014
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