This paper presents an analytical approach for the partitioning of the flow cross-sectional area in steady and uniform three-dimensional channels. The mechanism and direction of energy transport from the main flow are analyzed first. Based on the availability of surplus energy from the main flow, a concept of energy transportation through a minimum relative distance toward a unit area on the wetted perimeter is proposed. This leads to a novel method to analytically divide the flow area into various parts corresponding to the channel shape and roughness composition of its wetted perimeter. The demarcated boundary or “division line” can be evaluated using a presented equation. The existence of the division lines, which are lines of zero Reynolds shear stress within the flow region, has been proven through comparison with turbulence characteristics measurements. The method is illustrated in a study of the shear stress distribution in smooth rectangular open channels. Analytical solutions, valid for all aspect ratios, are derived for the mean side wall and bed shear stresses, and they compared well with existing experimental data from various researchers.
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Yang et al. (1997) studied this question.
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