Analysis of hydrodynamic pressures in the stilling basin of an earth dam

Abstract

The stilling basin is one of the most frequently used energy dissipation structures due to highly-efficient energy dissipation of the main stream through the secondary turbulent flow in the hydraulic jump roller formed within the stilling basin. An important characteristic of this type of flow is pulsating pressure, which is especially pronounced on the bottom concrete slabs, side walls, and other concrete components of the stilling basin. Hydrodynamic loads on the bottom and side walls of the stilling basin are assessed in the paper, based on pressure measurements at selected points on the physical model. Measurements were made at a large number of test points, such that a reliable distribution of hydrodynamic loading was obtained under different flow conditions.