Analytical Solution of Shallow Water Equations for Ideal Dam-Break Flood along a Wet-Bed Slope

Abstract

The existing analytical solutions of dam-break flow do not consider simultaneously the effects of wet downstream bottom and bed slope on the dam-break wave propagation. In this study, a new analytical solution for the shallow water equations (SWE) is developed to remove this limitation to simulate the wave caused by an instantaneous dam break. The approach adopts the method of characteristics and has been applied to simulate the dam-break flows with different downstream water depths and slopes. The analytical solutions have been compared with predictions by the lattice Boltzmann method and the agreement is good. Although the proposed analytical solution treats an idealized case, it is nonetheless suitable for assessing the robustness and accuracy of numerical models based on the SWE without the frictional slope.