A Concise Method to Predict the Mean Dynamic Pressure on a Plunge Pool Slab

Hydrodynamic pressure exerted on a plunge pool slab by jet impingement is of high interest in high dam projects. The present study experimentally investigated the characteristics of pressure induced by a jet through a constant width flip bucket (CFB) and a slit flip bucket (SFB). A pressurized plane pipe was employed in the flume experiments to control the inlet velocities in the flip buckets. A concise method is proposed to predict the mean dynamic pressure field. Its implementation is summarized as follows: First, the position of the pressure field is determined by the trajectories of free jets, and to calculate its trajectories, an equation based on parabolic trajectory theory is used; second, the maximum mean dynamic pressure is obtained through dimensional analysis, and then the pressure field is established by applying the law of Gaussian distribution. Those steps are integrated into a concise computing procedure by using some easy-to-obtain parameters. Some key parameters, such as takeoff velocity coefficient, takeoff angle coefficient, and the parameter [Formula: see text] , are also investigated in this paper. The formulas of these coefficients are obtained by fitting the experimental data. Using the proposed method, the easy-to-obtain geometric parameters and initial hydraulic conditions can be used to calculate the maximum mean dynamic pressure on the slab. A comparison between experimental data and calculated results confirmed the practicability of this model. These research results provide a reference for hydraulic applications.