Experimental Investigation and Numerical Evaluation of the Free Surface of a Dam Break Wave in the Presence of an Obstacle

Abstract

Tsunamis, impulse waves, and dam break waves have a high impact on nearby areas. Scaled experiments allow us to deeply understand the hydrodynamic features of these unsteady flows and, equally, to validate numerical models. The study shows the experimental set-up and the preliminary results of the tests performed at the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory of the University of Naples “Federico II”. We set up a 3 m long Perspex tank in order to generate dam break waves by a pneumatic gate removal. Two high-speed CCD (charge-coupled device) cameras were used to characterize the wavefront celerity and the free surface profile. Five pressure transducers were installed on a vertical wall, located at the end of the channel, in order to sample the force extent of the surge. The results of the numerical simulations realized through the depth-integrated model were compared with experimental data.