Sudden blocking of a supercritical open-channel flow

This paper reports results of experiments in which a steady-state nonuniform supercritical open-channel flow was suddenly blocked by a rapidly falling gate at a downstream distance of about one hundred critical depths. This results in a hydraulic jump propagating upstream. Experimental data on the shape, height, and propagation speed of its leading front are given. It is shown that the parameters of the jump differ significantly from the values found using a quasi-stationary approach.