Stochastic Uncertainty in a Dam-Break Experiment with Varying Gate Speeds

Abstract

Uncertainties inherent in gate-opening speeds are rarely studied in dam-break flow experiments due to the laborious experimental procedures required. For the stochastic analysis of these mechanisms, this study involved 290 flow tests performed in a dam-break flume via varying gate speeds between 0.20 and 2.50 m/s; four pressure sensors embedded in the flume bed recorded high-frequency bottom pressures. The obtained data were processed to determine the statistical relationships between gate speed and maximum pressure. The correlations between them were found to be particularly significant at the sensors nearest to the gate (Ch1) and farthest from the gate (Ch4), with a Pearson’s coefficient r of 0.671 and −0.524, respectively. The interquartile range (IQR) suggests that the statistical variability of maximum pressure is the largest at Ch1 and smallest at Ch4. When the gate is opened faster, a higher pressure with greater uncertainty occurs near the gate. However, both the pressure magnitude and the uncertainty decrease as the dam-break flow propagates downstream. The maximum pressure appears within long-period surge-pressure phases; however, instances considered as statistical outliers appear within short and impulsive pressure phases. A few unique phenomena, which could cause significant bottom pressure variability, were also identified through visual analyses using high-speed camera images. For example, an explosive water jet increases the vertical acceleration immediately after the gate is lifted, thereby retarding dam-break flow propagation. Owing to the existence of sidewalls, two edge waves were generated, which behaved similarly to ship wakes, causing a strong horizontal mixture of the water flow.