Effects of the concentration of solids on the phenomenon of super-elevation in artificial curved open channels

Abstract

This present study analyses the effects of the concentration of solids in the over-elevation phenomenon in a canal with a 180° curvature and a constant trapezoidal transversal section, with a firm bed, the fluid has a non-colloidal,mono-disperse distribution of relatively spherical particles of 1mm in size, thus making the rheology of the flow describable by the Einstein-Roscoe equation (1). Two stages are proposed for the development of the research; the firstcorresponds to physical experimentation, achieved using an artificial canal, in which 420 tests were carried out using different concentration of solids and two slopes, in order to determine the behaviour of the bi-phased flow. All of this is carried out by using experimental results and results obtained from numerical models. The data collected from the experimental process is compared to the results obtained from the theoretical models that are reported in literature. An over-elevation equation was formulated from the analysis, which can be used for the bi-phased conditions described in this article. During the second phase, numerical modelling using the TITAN2F software was carried out, where laboratory conditions are replicated. Data found from numerical modelling is compared with experimental results, with the intention of validating the numerical model that TITAN2F uses. From what is mentioned above, it was deduced that TITAN2F effectively reproduces the hydraulic phenomenon. However, it is also observed that the
program has a low susceptibility to changes in the concentration of solids, due to the scale being used.