NUMERICAL MODEL FOR DAM BREAK OVER A MOVABLE BED USING FINITE VOLUME METHOD

Abstract

In this paper, we study dam break phenomenon over a movable bed through a mathematical model. The model dynamically links the hydrodynamic and sediment transport. To solve the model numerically, we use finite volume method on a staggered grid that is simpler than the generalized collocated finite volume method. This is because the Riemann invariants problem in collocated grid approach can be particularly complex and costly in simulating dam break floods with sediment transport. The quality of the dam break flood simulations with our numerical scheme is verified by comparing the results against analytical solutions, laboratory tests and some experimental data available in the literature on fixed and mobile bed conditions. The numerical results reproduce the experimental evidence quite well, proving that the model is capable of predicting the temporal evolution of the free-surface and the bed. Our numerical scheme, which is not only simple to implement but also both accurate and computationally efficient, is proposed as an appropriate tool for simulating dam break problem over a movable bed.