Air–water flow measurements in a flat slope pooled stepped waterway

Abstract

Air–water flows on stepped spillways were investigated experimentally in the last decades with a focus on steep slope chutes equipped with flat horizontal steps. Detailed air–water flow properties were recorded herein with three stepped geometries down a slope of θ = 8.9° with: flat horizontal steps, pooled steps, and a combination of flat and pooled steps. The data included the distributions of basic air–water flow properties, as well as the energy dissipation and flow resistance data deduced from the air–water flow measurements. The results on the flat slope showed that the pooled stepped design enabled a greater rate of energy dissipation, but the pooled stepped geometries were affected by some flow instabilities and unsteady flow processes for a range of flow rates.