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Scour of rock may occur downstream of dam spillways, as a result of the impact of high-velocity jets. The phenomenon is traditionally assessed by means of ͑semi-͒ empirical methods. These partially neglect basic physical processes responsible for rock mass breakup. Therefore, a model to evaluate the ultimate depth and time evolution of scour in jointed rock is presented. The model is based on near-prototype scaled experimental investigations of transient water pressures in artificially created rock joints and on a numerical modeling of the measured pressures. It describes two different ways of rock mass destruction, i.e., failure by instantaneous or progressive breakup of closed-end rock joints, and failure by dynamic ejection of single rock blocks. The corresponding computational methods are easily applicable to practice, without neglecting relevant physics. The basic principles are outlined and applied to the well-known scour hole at Cabora-Bassa Dam.

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Dynamic pressures created by the impact of high-velocity turbulent jets plunging in a water pool with flat bottom were investigated. Pressure fluctuations were sampled at 1 kHz at the jet outlet and at the pool bottom using piezo-resistive pressure transducers, jet velocities of up to 30 m/s and pool depth to jet diameter ratios from 2.8 to 11.4. The high-velocity jets entrain air in the pool in conditions similar to prototype applications at water release structures of dams. The intermittent character of plunge pool flows was investigated for shallow and deep pools, based on high order moments and time correlations. Maximum intermittency was observed for pool depths at 5.6 jet diameters, which approximate the core development length. Wall pressure skewness was shown to allow identifying the zone of influence of downward and upward moving currents. List of symbols

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