HYDRAULIC MODELS FOR THE INFILTRATIONS THROUGH A GUARD LEVEE DYKE DURING A HIGH FLOOD

Abstract

In the technical literature, based on certain simplifying hypotheses, there were presented explicit analytical expressions for the curves of infiltration through earth massifs, under non-permanent conditions. We found that the accuracy of the models that lead to the determination of such curves of infiltration is strongly dependent on the accuracy of approximating the flood hydrographs with analytical functions. From authors experience in the area of flood waves mitigation, remarkable results were obtained when the flood hydrographs were approximated with cubic spline functions. Therefore we intended to extend this type of approximation to the hydraulic models that determine the curves of infiltration through massive chunks of earth. For the purpose of developing such hydraulic models, more easily exploitable in expedite applications, we appealed also to flood hydrograph approximations with unique polynomial functions of 1st and 3rd degree. After reviewing the methodologies used to develop the hydraulic models from recent technical literature, in a consistent manner, we designed an original general algorithm - applicable to any approximating analytical function for flood hydrographs. For validation, this new algorithm was first tested on the cases already treated in topical works - which led to similar results. Then, with the same new algorithm, have been addressed also the new proposed issues. The results for all representative specific cases considered, were consistent with those obtained by numerical simulation, using appropriate software and based on hydrodynamic models well established in the field