Modelling the impact of a dam‐break wave on a vertical wall

Created March 24, 2026

Updated on March 25, 2026

approved

Dam‐Break waves arise from the sudden release of the water stored behind a wall, and they cause destruction and losses on nearby areas. Characterisation of the impact force on obstacles is very important for risk assessment. In this work, we performed a series of lock‐release experiments to evaluate the wave‐induced impact force on a vertical end wall situated some distance from the lock. Laboratory data were used to evaluate the performance of several types of numerical models to predict the wave‐induced force on the vertical end wall. The selected models were as follows: the hydrostatic 1D De Saint‐Venant model, the multi‐layer hydrostatic model and the Navier–Stokes two‐phase flow. For the latter two models, both 2D (in the ‐ plane) and 3D simulations were performed. The results show that, independently of the hydrostatic assumption, the 2‐D simulations generate nonphysical oscillations which are not present in the measured temporal histories of the pressure and force values. By contrast, the predictions of both 3D numerical models better reproduce the temporal variation of the pressure forces on the end wall. The present study also shows that from a practical point of view, the 1D De Saint‐Venant model predicts with sufficient accuracy the impact time and the magnitude of the peak value of the impact force. Therefore, if the use of a fully 3D models is not a feasible option, in terms of a trade‐off between computation cost and accuracy, the use of a simple hydrostatic 1D De Saint‐Venant model is preferable to a 2D model.

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Tags:
Dam Break Waves
Publication - Article
Basic
Language
English
MainTitle
Modelling the impact of a dam‐break wave on a vertical wall
Original ids
https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5817
Type
publication
bestAccessRight
OPEN
countries
Italy
Creator/Author
Full name
  • Andrea Del Gaudio, orcid: 0000-0003-1419-1090
  • Giovanni La Forgia, orcid: 0000-0002-8543-6369
  • George Constantinescu, orcid: 0000-0001-7060-8378
  • Francesco De Paola, orcid: 0000-0003-0036-1191
  • Cristiana Di Cristo, orcid: 0000-0001-6578-4502
  • Michele Iervolino, orcid: 0000-0001-8344-8334
  • Angelo Leopardi, orcid: 0000-0001-6314-0279
  • Andrea Vacca, orcid: 0000-0002-7170-2005
Other
Description
Dam‐Break waves arise from the sudden release of the water stored behind a wall, and they cause destruction and losses on nearby areas. Characterisation of the impact force on obstacles is very important for risk assessment. In this work, we performed a series of lock‐release experiments to evaluate the wave‐induced impact force on a vertical end wall situated some distance from the lock. Laboratory data were used to evaluate the performance of several types of numerical models to predict the wave‐induced force on the vertical end wall. The selected models were as follows: the hydrostatic 1D De Saint‐Venant model, the multi‐layer hydrostatic model and the Navier–Stokes two‐phase flow. For the latter two models, both 2D (in the ‐ plane) and 3D simulations were performed. The results show that, independently of the hydrostatic assumption, the 2‐D simulations generate nonphysical oscillations which are not present in the measured temporal histories of the pressure and force values. By contrast, the predictions of both 3D numerical models better reproduce the temporal variation of the pressure forces on the end wall. The present study also shows that from a practical point of view, the 1D De Saint‐Venant model predicts with sufficient accuracy the impact time and the magnitude of the peak value of the impact force. Therefore, if the use of a fully 3D models is not a feasible option, in terms of a trade‐off between computation cost and accuracy, the use of a simple hydrostatic 1D De Saint‐Venant model is preferable to a 2D model.</jats:p>
Publication Date
2024-03-19
Publisher
Wiley
Subjects
13. Climate action; dam-break; numerical simulation; impact force; experiments; unsteady flows; dam-break, experiments, impact force, numerical simulation, unsteady flows
isGreen
false
isInDiamondJournal
false
Software
Publication
Ending page
2095
Name
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Publication
Article
Starting page
2080
issnOnline
1096-9837
issnPrinted
0197-9337
vol
49
Other Research Product
Detailed informations
system:type
Research Product
Management Info
Author
Catalogue Manager ITINERIS
Version
1
Last Updated
March 25, 2026, 10:56 (UTC)
Created
March 24, 2026, 23:35 (UTC)
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