HYDRAULICS OF STEPPED CHUTES AND SPILLWAYS

The stepped channel design has been used for more than 3500 years. Recent advances in technology (e.g. RCC, polymer-coated gabion wire) have triggered a regain in interest for the stepped design, although much expertise had been lost in the past 80 years. The steps increase significantly the rate of energy dissipation taking place along the chute and reduce the size of the required downstream energy dissipation basin. Stepped cascades are used also in water treatment plants to enhance the air-water transfer of atmospheric gases (e.g. oxygen, nitrogen) and of volatile organic components (VOC). This book presents the state of the art in stepped chute hydraulics. Results from more than forty five laboratory studies and four prototype investigations were re-analyzed and compared. The book provides a new understanding of stepped channel hydraulics, and it is aimed at both the research and professional community.