Flow over gabion weir under free and submerged flow conditions

Abstract

A gabion weir is considered more environmentally friendly than a solid weir, as its porosity allows aquatic life and physical matter to move through it. In the present study, a series of laboratory experiments were conducted on flow over gabion weir and solid weir under free flow and submerged flow conditions. The collected data have been used to develop equations for the coefficient of discharge of gabion weir and solid weir. Two approaches are developed for the estimation of discharge over the gabion weir. Approach-I shows better results for the estimation of the discharge over gabion weir under free-flow and submerged flow conditions. Further, water surface profiles over the solid weir and gabion weirs with different porosities are observed during experimentation. It is also observed that the ratio of head over the gabion weir to crest height is an effective parameter for the coefficient of discharge of gabion weir.