SPHysics simulation of laboratory shallow free surface turbulent flows over a rough bed

In this paper, the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method is used to simulate experimental shallow free surface turbulent flows over a rough bed made of regularly packed uniform spheres. The numerical program is based on the open source code SPHysics and significant improvement is made in the turbulence modelling and rough bed treatment within the code. A modified Sub-Particle-Scale eddy viscosity model is proposed to simulate the effect of turbulence transfer mechanisms in the highly-sheared free surface flow, and a drag force term is introduced into the momentum equation as a source term to account for the existence of the bed roughness. To validate the numerical model, a laboratory experiment is carried out to study shallow, turbulent flow behaviour under different flow conditions. The SPH simulations are then compared with the flow velocity, shear stress and turbulent intensity profiles measured via acoustic doppler velocimeters. Several issues with regard to the rough bed hydraulics are investigated, including the study of water surface behaviour and its interaction with the bulk flow.