Stepped spillway flows and air entrainment

Abstract

Stepped spillways have become a popular method for handling flood releases. The steps significantly increase the rate of energy dissipation taking place on the spillway face and reduce the size of the required downstream energy dissipation basin. The compatibility of stepped spillways with roller compacted concrete and gabion construction techniques results in low additional cost for the spillway. This paper presents a review of recent developments for the design of stepped spillways, provides a discussion of the effects of air entrainment, and presents new calculation methods that take into account the effects of flow aeration on the flow characteristics and the rate of energy dissipation. Key words: stepped spillway, air entrainment, dam, spillway, energy dissipation.