Experimental and theoritical study of unsteady flows in open channels with different bed slopes

In this study the unsteady flow in open channels which is one of the fundamental subjects in hydromechanics is studied experimentally and theoretically.The experiments are carried out in an experimental system built in Hydraulics Laboratory of Dokuz Eylül University, with different bottom slopes and by generating various input hydrographs.The experimental set-up is constituted from a rectangular channel of 80 cm width and 18,6 m length. The volume of the water supply tank is 27 m3. The input hydrograph is generated by a 18,5 kW pump with regulated rotational speed. The system involves also two elevated tanks in order to create flood hydrographs similar to those encountered in nature. The velocities are measured by using UVP DUO-MX ultrasound velocity profile monitor combined with transducers. Discharges determined from this device are controlled by sharp edged rectangular weir without contraction, which is calibrated by means of the debimetre. The water depths are measured by probes and are controlled by level meters bought later.The experimental results are compared with those obtained from similar researches and also with theoretical ones based on explicit numerical solutions method.