Experimental investigation and numerical evaluation of the free surface of a dam break wave in the presence of an obstacle

Tsunamis, impulse waves, and Dam-Break waves have a high impact on the nearby areas. Scaled experiments allow to deeply understand hydrodynamic features of these unsteady flows and, on the other hand, to validate numerical models. The study shows the experimental set-up and the preliminary results of the tests performed at the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory of the University of Naples “Federico II”. We set a 3 m long Perspex tank in order to generate Dam Break waves by a pneumatic gate removal. Two high-speed CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) cameras are used to characterize the wavefront celerity and the free surface profile. Five pressure transducers are installed on a vertical wall, located at the end of the channel, in order to sample the force extent of the surge. The results of the numerical simulations realized with a depth-integrated model are compared with experimental data.