Flow Patterns and Energy Dissipation over Various Stepped Chutes

Abstract

To reduce the size of the dissipation basin, the stepped chute has been accepted to be the most powerful hydraulic structure to dissipate large flow energy downstream from steep hills. This paper presents the flow characteristics and factors for energy dissipation in various types of stepped chutes: horizontal steps, inclined steps, and steps with end sills. Delineated and descript flow regimes are observed. The relationships between relative energy loss and relative critical flow depth on three stepped chutes are presented and discussed. The steps with end sills seem to be the most efficient configuration in terms of relative energy dissipation. The effect of number of steps is evident since the relative energy loss increases with the number of steps. In addition, new correlations showing the relation between relative energy loss and relative critical flow depth are proposed for practical applications.