Author(s)

F.C.B. Mascarenhas & R.C. Vieira da Silva

Abstract

Analysis of waves caused by dam failure with the conservative approach F.C.B. Mascarenhas, R.C. Vieira da Silva Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Brazil ABSTRACT This work presents the routing of a wave caused by a dam failure, using the Lax method for unsteady flows with shock appearing or discontinuities, described by hyperbolic equations. In this method the Saint-Venant equations are written in the so-called divergent or conservative form and are solved by the theory of weak solutions for non-linear conservation laws. Unlike other procedures, in that method the introduction of localized head loss or pseudo-viscosity is unnecessary. The Lax method is applied to the study of hypothetical failure of Serra da Mesa dam, at the Tocantins river in Brazil. This dam presents a high Impound Potential Danger (IPD) and its eventual dam-break wave leans to the appearing of a strong discontinuity of the flow profile at the initial flow sections. T

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