Free-surface flows with near-critical flow conditions

Open channel flow situations with near-critical flow conditions are often characterized by the development of free-surface instabilities (i.e., undulations). The paper develops a review of several near-critical flow situations. Experimental results are compared with ideal-fluid flow calculations. The analysis is completed by a series of new experiments. The results indicate that, for Froude numbers slightly above unity, the free-surface characteristics are very similar. However, with increasing Froude numbers, distinctive flow patterns develop. Key words: open channel flow, critical flow conditions, free-surface undulations, flow instability, undular surge, undular broad-crested weir flow, culvert flow.