Simulating Velocity Distribution of Dam Breaks with the Particle Method

Abstract

This paper provides a quantitative comparison of a benchmarking dam-break case simulated by a particle method. The velocity comparison is usually absent in particle-method simulation, but both the water surface and velocity distribution are presented in this study. Various velocity profiles are shown at different sections located either upstream or downstream of the gate position of the initial water column. The effects of a turbulence model and particle size are then discussed to show the necessity of using a turbulence model in particle method. The comparisons show good agreement in both the water surface profiles and velocity distributions. The utilization of turbulence model and roughness coefficient in moving particle Semiimplicit (MPS) method improves the velocity distribution compared with the standard MPS method. A quantitative comparison of velocity distribution on the basis of relative root mean squared error (RRMSE) value was also executed to show the capacity of MPS method in simulating fluid flow. This study indicates that the particle method is capable of reproducing both the velocity distribution and water surface in a dam-break simulation.