Experimental Investigation of the Buffer Blocks on the Extreme Flows Generated Using Dam-Break Mechanism

The flows resulting from extreme events are bound to create devastating social, environmental, and economic consequences in the coastal regions. The earthquake-triggered tsunami in 2004 awakened the importance of the protective measures along the coast. This study focusses on the effectiveness of buffer blocks in dissipating the extreme flows for the less vulnerable regions in which the extreme flows are generated using dam-break mechanism. At an instant of time, the gate opens in a radial direction leading to a sudden flow thereby replicating surges due to an extreme event over a dry bed. The buffer blocks are positioned at 10m from the gate which acts as the coastal defensive elements thus attenuating the flow. Initially, single row of buffer blocks is investigated in detail. The downstream flow characteristics such as flow depth, flow velocity, and momentum flux are analyzed for various reservoir water depths and the results are summarized.