Numerical investigation of the effects of turbulence intensity on dam-break flows

Resistance to the propagating motion of water in dam-break problems increases where the flow depth becomes small, in particular, in the region close to the water front, resulting in the retardation of the surging front of water and the change in its curvature. This paper is focused on the numerical investigation of the effects of this basal resistance on the unsteady motion of dam-break flows with considering the development of turbulence. For this purpose, a volume of fluid (VOF) advection algorithm coupled with the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with a two-equations turbulence closure model is employed. For efficiently describing and predicting the degree of turbulence in dam-break flows, the computations are carried out with the variation of initial turbulence intensities. The present numerical observations reasonably describe the relevant physical aspects of dam-break flows, showing a satisfactory agreement in comparison with available experimental data without and with the impact of water. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.