Hydraulic characteristics of flow over dam infrastructure: Preliminary experimental investigation

Abstract The safety and sustainability of dams are critical to support Sustainable Development Goals 6 (clean water and sanitation) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities). This study presents an experimental analysis of the hydraulic characteristics of the flow over a 1:50 scale model of a hydraulic physical model. Key parameters such as velocity, water depth, pressure, transverse waves, and hydraulic jumps were measured with calibrated instruments, focussing on critical infrastructure locations, mainly the spillway and the stilling basin. The results show that velocity was highest at the spillway steps and chute stages due to steep slope changes, with chaotic air-water formations (point of inception) along the spillway to the settling basin section. The water depth and pressure were identified as highest in the settling basin. A hydraulic jump was observed in the stilling basin, categorized as undulating with low energy dissipation. These findings on the flow behaviour at a discharge rate of 50 L/s provide valuable information for engineers, designers and policymakers in developing safe, secure, economical and efficient dam infrastructures. The experimental approach demonstrated in this study provides a specific methodology for future research endeavours to understand the complex hydraulic processes in dam environments.