A new 1D coupled hydrodynamic discrete element model for floating debris in violent shallow flows. Issue 5 (18th September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xiong, Yan; Mahaffey, Samantha; Liang, Qiuhua; Rouainia, Mohamed; Wang, Gang
• Is Part Of: Journal of hydraulic research. Volume 58:Issue 5(2020)
• Page Start: 778
• Page End: 789
• Publication Date: 2020-09-18
• Subjects: Coupled model -- discrete element model -- extreme hydraulic conditions -- floating debris -- Godunov-type finite volume method -- shallow water equations; Hydraulics -- Research -- Periodicals; Hydraulic engineering -- Periodicals; Hydraulic engineering; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 621.2
• DOI: 10.1080/00221686.2019.1671513
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1686

Abstract

Abstract : The effect of floating objects has so far rarely been considered in flood modelling and risk assessment, despite having significant implications for structural design in flood-prone and coastal areas. In this work, a novel two-way method is proposed to fully couple a discrete element model to a hydrodynamic model to simulate complex debris-enriched flow hydrodynamics. The adopted hydrodynamic model solves the nonlinear shallow water equations (SWEs) using a finite volume shock-capturing numerical method. After being validated against an idealized analytical test, the new coupled model is used to reproduce flume experiments of floating debris driven by dam-break waves. The numerical results agree well with the experimental measurements, demonstrating the model's capability in simulating the complex fluid–debris interactions induced by violent shallow flows.