Author(s): T. D. Shand; G. P. Smith; R. J. Cox; M. Blacka
Linked Author(s): Grantley Smith
Keywords: Floodway; People safety; Human stability; Vehicle stability; Tolerable flow
Abstract: The safety of people in floods is of major concern in floodplain management. Human activity in floodways is inevitable with much development already in flood prone areas. The safety of people can be compromised when exposed to flows which exceed their ability to remain standing or when the vehicles they are travelling in are exposed to flows which cause the vehicle to become unstable by losing traction or becoming buoyant. Over the last four decades, numerous studies have been undertaken within Australia and internationally to define the limits of human and vehicle stability within differing flow regimes. The current safety guidelines within Australia are based primarily on the results of experimental studies undertaken in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Bonham and Hattersley, 1967; Foster and Cox, 1973; Gordon and Stone, 1973) and more recent numerical assessments (Keller and Mitsch, 1993). However, substantial changes in vehicle design have occurred since these early studies, notably in vehicle planform area, vehicle weight and ground clearance and the results of these earlier studies may no longer be representative of contemporary vehicles. This paper reviews early work, collates and discusses subsequent experimental testing, empirical expressions and safety guidelines derived from the range of studies. The entire data-set of relevant experimental results is re-analysed and tolerable conditions related to human and vehicle safety and safe working conditions are presented.
Year: 2011