Impact of Continuous and Dentate Transverse Baffles on Vertical Drop Structure Basin Dimensions

Abstract The dissipation of excess kinetic energy within vertical drop structures (VDS) occurs through hydraulic jumps. The main objective of this study is to reduce the jump length by increasing energy dissipation through the installation of continuous and dentate floor baffles. A rectangular drop structure, measuring 0.35 m in height, installed in a rectangular flume, was used as the VDS. End sills of three different heights were employed and tested under seven different flow conditions. A comparative analysis of control experiments (without baffles) and empirical relations from previous studies revealed strong consistency. Results indicated that the dentate baffles (DBs) significantly influenced the length of the hydraulic jump, with end sill heights of 0.3 and 0.6 times the critical depth demonstrating the least and most effectiveness, respectively. Furthermore, data analysis indicated a 54.4% reduction in the relative length of the hydraulic jump for DBs and a 41.5% reduction for CBs compared to the scenario without baffles.