EXPERIMENTS TO DAMBREAK WAVE - HORIZONTAL CHANNEL

Dambreak waves in a smooth rectangular and horizontal channel are desc ribed. Based on a literature review, the conditions required for Froud e similarity are first derived. Then, the positive and negative wave f ronts are analytically determined, based on the characteristic equatio ns. Further, the effect of the relative reservoir length on the wave m aximum is specified and a novel dimensionless coordinate X is introduc ed, that accounts for both relative reservoir length and non-dimension al tailwater location. Detailed results refer to the definition of wav e profiles and distributions of velocity and discharge in the wave bod y. A similarity plot defines a single wave profile. The results so obt ained are discussed and allow a deeper insight into the mechanics of d ambreak waves. The results are readily available for applications, and a significant modification regarding the initial flow conditions is d escribed.