Insights from Numerical Simulation of Flow in Steep Channels under the Effect of Contraction and Curvature

Supercritical flows in channel contractions and alignment changes have been previously studied for simplified cases where channel is horizontal, and friction is negligible. Although these simplifications greatly limit the applicability of previous studies, they are viewed as a good first approximation and are sometimes applied in practical situations. This paper uses numerical models to study the effects of channel contraction and alignment curvature on the behavior of supercritical flows in channels with steep slope. Flow behavior is described in terms of water surface profiles and velocity distributions. Results presented herein have implications for the design of hydraulic structures such as spillways, chutes, supercritical reaches, and channel transitions.