Introduction

Hydraulic jumps mostly occur naturally in open channels. They are very efficient in dissipating the energy of the flow to make it more controllable and less erosive. In a hydraulic jump the flow goes from supercritical ( high velocity) to subcritical (low velocity) regime. In fact, occasionally it might be necessary to create a jump to consume the excessive energy. For instance when water flows down from an outlet of an arch dam, it carries an enormous amount of kinetic energy, which might damage the receiving channels. To avoid damage, a hydraulic structure called stilling basin is built underneath the dam. This structure produces a controlled hydraulic jump, where the damaging energy is lost in the transition from supercritical to subcritical.

Objective:
The objective of the experiment was to observe the occurrence of hydraulic jumps in rectangular channels.

Summary of Theory:
A hydraulic jump is defined as the sudden and usually turbulent passage of water in an open channel from low stage, below critical depth, to high stage, above critical depth. During this passage, the velocity changes from supercritical to subcritical. There is considerable loss of energy during the jump. Even though energy is lost, the pressure momentum force is preserved. The continuity equation cane be applied for a hydraulic jump occurring in a horizontal rectangular channel: q = v1y1 = v2y2 v1 = velocity of flow at section 1 v2 = velocity of flow at section 2 y1 = depth of flow at section 1 y2 = depth of flow at section 2 q = flow per unit width = Qa/B Qa = total discharge B = width of channel By neglecting resistance at the bottom of the channel and applying the momentum equation between the two sections of the hydraulic jump, the following formula is created: (y12/2) - (y22/2) = v1y1(v2-v1) = specific weight of the fluid = density of the fluid The above equation can then be rewritten as:

M1 = (y12/2) + (qa2/gy1) = (y12/2) + (qa2/gy1) = M2 M = momentum function Solving the previous equation will obtain: qcomp = [(y1+y2/2)*(gy1y2)]0.5 The head loss caused by the hydraulic jump can be computed by comparing energy before and after the jump. The following equation is used to calculate the head loss: hl = (y2-y1)3/(4*y1y2) Other relevant equations used include: F2 = sqrt(Qa2/(B2gy23)) F1 = Qa2/sqrt(B2gy13) F = Froude Number y1,comp = (y2/2)*[-1+(1+8*F22)0.5]

Procedure
A hydraulic jump has been established in the elevated flume of the Hydraulics Laboratory. The following tasks must be accomplished in this experiment:

1. The width of the channel is measured; 2. The sequent depths of the jump is measured; 3. The flow depth upstream is measured from the jump (subcritical region); 4. The flow velocity is estimated in the subcritical region of the flow; Choose two points in the channel in the subcritical region downstream from the jump and measure their distance; Put a piece of paper on the flow surface and measure the time it takes for the paper to travel from one point to the other. Repeat this procedure three times and take the average travel time; Divide the distance by the average travel time to approximate the flow velocity at the water surface;