Computational Modeling of the Collapse of a Liquid Column Over an Obstacle and Experimental Validation

Abstract

We present the numerical and experimental analyses of the collapse of a water column over an obstacle. The physical model consists of a water column initially confined by a closed gate inside a glass box. An obstacle is placed between the gate and the right wall of the box, inside the initially unfilled zone. Once the gate is opened, the liquid spreads in the container and over the obstacle. Measurements of the liquid height along the walls and a middle control section are obtained from videos. The computational modeling is carried out using a moving interface technique, namely, the edge-tracked interface locator technique, to calculate the evolution of the water-air interface. The analysis involves a water-column aspect ratio of 2, with different obstacle geometries. The numerical predictions agree reasonably well with the experimental trends.