Three-dimensional fully developed shallow-water flow in mildly curved bends

Abstract

A mathematical model which describes three-dimensional fully developed flow in mildly curved open channel is developed. The side-wall boundary layers are included in the analysis, and the normal component of the secondary current is constrained to be zero at the side walls. It is found that the advective transport of fluid momentum due to the secondary current induces accumulation of primary-flow (streamwise) fluid momentum near the outer bank. The analysis makes it possible to analyze the curvature-induced excess of shear stress at the outer bank. The model is well supported by available laboratory data.