Davide WüthrichDelft University of Technology | TU · Department of Hydraulic Engineering
Davide Wüthrich
Ph.D. - Ing. Civ. dipl EPF
About
58
Publications
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407
Citations
Introduction
Additional affiliations
December 2020 - present
January 2019 - August 2020
September 2018 - December 2018
Education
January 2014 - March 2018
September 2011 - October 2013
September 2007 - October 2010
Publications
Publications (58)
In the last decades the design of stepped spillways regained some interest because of their suitability with new construction methods including gabions. The hydraulic performances of gabion stepped weirs were investigated experimentally in terms of the flow patterns, air-water flow properties, and energy dissipation. A laboratory study was conducte...
Tsunamis, impulse waves, and dam failures are disasters that challenge humanity, often leading to massive casualties and extreme economic losses. The highly unsteady flow conditions generated by such events are often in the form of turbulent bores. The purpose of this study was to investigate and validate a new generation system for bores propagati...
Previous studies and field surveys showed that specific structural designs can decrease the load on free-standing buildings along the coast, providing safer vertical shelters. This experimental study investigated the effect of openings in buildings (windows, doors and foyers) on horizontal forces and tilting moments induced by both dry bed surges a...
Highly turbulent free-surface flows are characterised by complex and rapidly varying air–water surface features, leading to enhanced surface roughness, breakup and disintegration processes. Such a strong free-surface turbulence has an impact on a number of environmental flows, and a deeper understanding of its physical nature is fundamental. Unstea...
Chancy-Pougny is a run-of-river dam on the Swiss–French border constructed in the early 1920s. Since its commissioning, the operation of the four spillway gates has been responsible for a progressive erosion of the stilling basin. The future scour potential of the unlined stilling basin of the Chancy-Pougny dam was assessed by hybrid modeling, comb...
Hydraulic jumps are commonly employed as energy dissipators to guarantee long-term operation of hydraulic structures. A comprehensive and in-depth understanding of their main features is therefore fundamental. In this context, the current study focused on hydraulic jumps with low Froude numbers, i.e. Fr 1 = 2.1 and 2.4, at relatively high Reynolds...
In a world influenced by climate change and consequently sea-level rise, extreme floods are expected to become more frequent in the future, representing a serious threat for riverine and coastal settlements. Therefore, flood protection is a large component of climate adaptation and should be closely related to other measures of climate adaptation a...
The propagation of dam-break waves on different rough beds was observed to be quasi-steady in the range $11.3 , where $x$ is measured from the dam position. These quasi-steady propagation speeds converge with the steady ideal fluids model of Stoker ( Water Waves , 1957, Interscience) when the tailwater depth $h_2$ becomes greater than ${\sim }0.5k_...
Breaking bores are commonly observed in a number of natural processes, often associated with the presence of a transient mixture of air and water, with intense recirculation, air bubble entrainment, and splashing. Two-phase flow measurements in such highly unsteady flows cannot be based on long-duration measurements and require novel ensemble-stati...
Partially-filled pipe flows are commonly observed in urban hydraulics, sewers and road crossings. The occurrence of a compression wave in the confined space may result from flash flooding, transient operation or accidental blockage, inducing explosive conditions. In this study, the propagation of a compression wave was studied in a relatively large...
A hydraulic jump is a stationary transition from an upstream supercritical to a downstream subcritical flow. Weak hydraulic jumps may be observed downstream of low-head hydraulic structures and their physical properties were often neglected. In the present study, the hydraulic properties were investigated experimentally in weak hydraulic jumps with...
On a stepped spillway, the staircase invert profile generates some intense turbulent dissipation during the spill, associated with a significant reduction of kinetic energy, as well as strong self-aeration. The present study focused on the effects of inclined downward steps on the air–water flow properties, flow resistance, and head losses because...
Self-aerated free-surface flow studies have a more recent history compared to classical fluid dynamics. Traditional velocimetry techniques are adversely affected by the presence of gas-liquid interfaces. In the present study, detailed air-water flow measurements were performed in a highly turbulent free-surface flow, and three velocimetry approache...
A hydraulic jump is a region of rapidly-varied flow that is extremely turbulent. While the one-dimensional continuity and momentum principles have been successfully applied to express the relationships between upstream and downstream conditions, the three-dimensional equations cannot be resolved without some complicated turbulence closure, often in...
Shear plates have previously been used to measure bed shear stresses under swash and dam-break waves. The present study has been focused on the large bed shear stresses near the tip and even at distances less than one plate length from the tip. In order to resolve this rapid stress variation, the shear plate was calibrated with respect to its step...
Steady free-surface flows around buildings occurring during flood or tsunami events can produce major damages and a quantification of the post-peak forces is essential for safety and resilience of coastal structures. The loading process is highly affected by the flow Froude number and the drag coefficient, commonly defined for highly subcritical fl...
Tsunamis, impulse-waves and dam-break waves have affected humanity in recent decades and the construction of vertical shelters can provide safety to people. However, for non-critical infrastructures, typically residential houses of lower height, overtopping is accepted during such events. This study experimentally quantifies the effect of building...
A breaking bore in a translating system of reference is mathematically comparable with a stationary hydraulic jump, whose dissipative nature is used in hydraulic structures to limit damage during floods. Although visually similar, analogies and dissimilarities between hydraulic jumps and bores have been discussed for decades. Recent developments in...
A high-speed water jet plunging into a slower receiving waterbody results in an air entrainment process. In hydraulic engineering, a plunging jet is commonly used as an energy dissipater downstream of a hydraulic structure, such as stepped chute flow and water treatment plants. The energy dissipation is related to the bubble turbulence
interplay as...
Hydraulic jumps are commonly employed as energy dissipators to guarantee long-term operation of hydraulic structures. Thus, a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of its main features is fundamental. In this context, the current study focused on a hydraulic jump with a low Froude number (Fr = 2.4) and a relatively high Reynolds number (Re = 1.8...
Breaking bores are an unsteady flow motion observed in flood waves, rejection surges by hydropower plants, tidal bores, and tsunamis propagating in rivers. For large Froude numbers (Fr1 > 1.5), the bores exhibit a non-stationary breaking roller characterised by a recirculating motion with large air entrainment and splashes resulting in a highly flu...
Les tsunamis, les vagues d'impulsion et les ruptures de barrages représentent des phénomènes extrêmes qui mettent en danger la vie des personnes et la fonctionnalité des infrastructures. Des événements récents dans l'Océan Indien (2004), au Japon (2011) et en Indonésie (2018) ont montré que des mesures constructives peuvent réduire les charges indu...
Tsunamis, impulse waves, and dam-break waves are rare but catastrophic events, associated with casualties and damage to infrastructures. An adequate description of these waves is vital to assure human safety and to generate resilient structures. Furthermore, a specific
building geometry with openings, such as windows and doors, reduces wave-induced...
Breaking surges and bores are observed during flood events, tidal bores and tsunamis propagating in rivers. The sudden increase in water depth generates an aerated and recirculating region, called the roller, whose turbulent behaviour is poorly understood. Based on ensemble-average analyses with multiple repetitions, this experimental work processe...
Unsteady flows such as tsunamis, impulse waves and dam-break waves can lead to damages and human losses. Hence, specific research to limit casualties and reconstruction costs is needed. The complexity of the phenomena involved suggests that a hybrid experimental-numerical approach should be used to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the pro...
A comprehensive understanding of physical phenomena based on a hybrid experimental-numerical approach supports a safer design of critical infrastructures. However, for large-scale tsunami-like waves, the reliability of numerical models was insufficiently validated. Herein, we validate our numerical model of tsunami-like waves by comparing simulatio...
Tsunami, impulse-waves and dam-break waves afflict humanity with casualties and damages. Insight into the flow mechanisms of these waves, is important to provide safety and reduce reconstruction costs. This experimental study focuses on the effect of bed roughness on the main hydrodynamic properties of surges propagating on dry bed. Further, the re...
Tsunamis, landslide-generated waves, and dam failures are rare, but highly destructive phenomena, associated with extreme loading on infrastructure. Recent events showed that specific measures must be taken to guarantee safety of both people and the built environment. This experimental study investigates the forces and moments exerted on free-stand...
Recent studies showed that a specific design can reduce the impact of water waves on structures, thus limiting the damages. Herein the impact of waves on buildings is addressed, pointing out the influence of orientation on the hydrodynamic process.
Uncontrolled scour is affecting multiple mobile dams. The plunge pool of the Chancy-Pougny barrage, located on the Rhone River bordering France and Switzerland, has recently been reported to develop in a potentially unfavourable direction after almost 100 years of acceptable scour development. In order to estimate the future scour potential of this...
Dam failures, impulse waves, tsunamis and storm surges are disasters that challenge humanity, often leading to massive casualties and important economic losses. These events generate highly unsteady flow conditions in the form of surges or turbulent bores, associated with extreme loading on infrastructure. In the past, the impact on these flows on...
The objective of this study is the stilling basin downstream of the Chancy-Pougny dam, facing some scour
problems. A physical model was constructed with a scaling ration of 1:55, with the purpose of better
understanding the origin of this erosion. The non-symmetrical geometry of the stilling basin generated a
recirculating flow that interacted with...
Natural hazards such as tsunamis, impulse waves and dam-break waves are rare, but extremely destructive.
In recent times, more importance was given to structures that could withstand such events, however,
uncertainties still exist in the estimation of wave velocities. This project focuses on the estimation of wave front
celerity in a laboratory env...
Tsunamis, Impulse waves and the sudden collapse of dams are rare phenomena, but highly destructive.
Nevertheless recent events showed that structures with openings can effectively reduce impact forces,
ensuring people’s safety and limiting reconstruction costs. The present experimental study systematically
investigates the impact of a dry bed surge...
![Figure 5: Parameters of Scour Model [4]](profile/Davide-Wuethrich/publication/319187330/figure/fig2/AS:530024554876928@1503379109401/Parameters-of-Scour-Model-4_Q320.jpg)
Chancy-Pougny is a run-of-river dam on the Swiss-French border constructed in the early 1920s. Since its inauguration, the operation of the four spillway gates was responsible for a progressive erosion of the stilling basin. Thus, a hybrid modelling was performed to study the scour potential and to determine adequate solutions to maintain future sc...
Hydrodynamic waves are an unsteady flow motion generated by rapid water level rise. In nature, such events can be found in dam-break waves, impulse waves and tsunamis. These phenomena are rare, but highly destructive. The present study is based on an experimental approach and it investigates the hydrodynamic behavior of bores propagating on wet bed...
Hydrodynamic waves are characterised by unsteady, highly turbulent and irregular behaviours. In nature, such phenomena can be observed in dam breaks, impulse waves and tsunamis. Both wet bed bores and dry bed surges were experimentally reproduced on smooth and rough surfaces. For all tested scenarios a front propagating in the channel was observed,...
The development of alternative energy solutions to meet the increasing energy demand requires the expansion of the production network. In this context hydropower plants (HPPs) represent a reliable renewable energy source [3] and the possibility of integrating a pumping storage system makes HPPs an excellent way to stock energy. Besides energy gener...
In the context of a comprehensive research project investigating the hydrodynamic loading on structures with openings, this paper focuses on the wave generation techniques currently used and the test results associated with it, proposing a particular tsunami-like wave using a vertical water volume release mechanism. The latter allowed a certain vol...
The appearance of the regular vegetated ridge patterns observed in some ephemeral rivers of semi-arid regions (Nanson, Tooth, & Knigthon 2002) has previously been explained by hydraulic arguments (optimization of the bed load transport capacity, see Huang & Nanson (2007)) without including the role of vegetation in the process. Those arguments prov...
The stepped spillway design has been used for more than 3,300 years. A simple structure is the gabion stepped weir. A laboratory study was performed herein in a large size facility. Three gabion stepped weirs were tested with and without capping, as well as a flat impervious stepped configuration. For each configuration, detailed air–water flow mea...
In the last three decades the design of stepped spillways regained some interest because of their suitability with new construction methods including gabion placement. In this study, the hydraulic performances of gabion stepped weirs were investigated experimentally in terms of the air-water flow properties and energy dissipation rate. A physical s...
Stepped spillway structures have been used for more than 3,000 years. Recently the design of stepped chutes regained some interest because of their suitability with roller compacted concrete (RCC) construction methods and gabion placement. In this study, the hydraulic performances of gabion stepped weirs were investigated experimentally in terms of...
Several research investigations have explored the interaction between morphodynamic and vegetation growth processes from both the modelling and the experimental viewpoints. Results have mainly been concerned with morphologic analyses of the effects of vegetation on long term riverbed evolution without addressing the relative role of the timescales...
Part of investigations on the feedbacks between vegetation and the river
morphodynamics, we study how the flow-mediated interaction between
riparian vegetation located at different points in the channel can lead
to the appearance of the regular vegetated ridge patterns found in
various riverine environments (for an example, see Tooth and Nanson,
19...
Projects
Projects (5)
https://www.sarcc.eu
The overall objective of SARCC (Sustainable and Resilient Coastal Cities) is to help mainstream nature-based solutions (NBS) into coastal management and policy making, whether that is as stand-alone projects or NBS-hybrids, where they are integrated into existing grey infrastructure and flood defences. The project will build the capacity of urban leaders, decision-makers and officers involved in coastal flood defences to deploy NBS and understand the additional benefits that they offer in comparison to traditional grey infrastructure.
Turbulence characterisation
Two-phase properties
Many of the fatalities in the 1953 North Sea storm surge flood occurred while residents sheltered in place in brick masonry buildings but those buildings collapsed (Jonkman & Vrijling, 2008). At present, the Netherlands government realizes that many regions of the Netherlands cannot practically be evacuated during a storm surge or river flood, as population density is too large and transportation arteries cannot handle the ensuing traffic volume with a warning time of only one or two days (Kolen & Helsloot, 2012). Therefore, it is essential to quantify the fragility of common Dutch building types to floods that are to be expected during failure of coastal and riverine primary flood defences, and to reformulate location-specific evacuation plans based on the types of buildings and flood hazard present. This research will measure the physical response of modern Dutch buildings to floods, generate flood fragility functions for these building types, and apply the fragility functions to risk analysis and evacuation planning in critical locations. In addition to collapse, the project will investigate the resilience of home utilities to floodwaters. The deliverable of this proposed project is closure on the discussion of whether brick masonry and concrete structures are at risk of collapse in the types of floods expected in the Netherlands (flooded polders during storm surge and river floods).
