Dam-Break Flow Over a Uniformly Sloping Bottom

Abstract

A solution is derived for dam-break flow over a uniformly sloping bottom, under the assumption that each receding characteristic line of flow is parabolic. The hydraulic resistance of the bottom is not considered in the derivation. The validity and characteristics of the solution are examined through comparisons with Matsutomi's approximate solution under the same flow conditions, and with Ritter's and Peregrine et al.'s solutions. The solution is expected to be useful in examining or solving practical problems in hydraulic or coastal engineering, and any result obtained from it can be easily compared with experimental data.

SWASHES: a compilation of shallow water analytic solutions for hydraulic and environmental studies

“…Dam break flows are also examined for problems in hydraulic or coastal engineering for example to discuss the behavior of a strong bore, caused by a tsunami, over a uniformly sloping beach. Thus in 1985 Matsutomi gave a solution of a dam break on a uniformly sloping bottom (as mentioned in [39]). Another contribution is the one of Chanson, who generalized Dressler's and Whitham's dam break solutions to turbulent and laminar flows with horizontal and sloping bottom [12,13].…”