Author(s): Hubert Chanson
Linked Author(s): Hubert Chanson
Keywords: Dam break wave; Analytical solution; Bed friction; Tsunami surge
Abstract: Surge waves resulting from dam breaks have been responsible for numerous losses of life. Related situations include flash floods, debris flow surges, surging waves in the swash zone, and tsunami surges on dry coastal plains. Herein the dam break wave flow is analysed as a wave tip region where flow resistance is dominant, followed by an ideal-fluid flow region where inertial effects and gravity effects are dominant. The analytical development yields an explicit expression of the instantaneous free-surface profile and flow properties that compare well with well-known experimental data. Results are then applied to tsunami surges on dry coastal plains, and compared with some data set. The present development offers simple analytical expressions that compare well with both experimental data and more advanced theoretical solutions, and that are further well-suited for pedagogical purposes as well as computational model validation.
Year: 2005