Fully coupled discontinuous galerkin modeling of dam-break flows over movable bed with sediment transport

A one-dimensional (1D) discontinuous Galerkin morphodynamic model has been devised with application to simulate of dam-break flows over erodible beds with suspended sediment transport. The morphodynamic equations adopt the shallow-water equations (SWE) considering the interaction of sediment transport and bed changes on the flow. A local second-order Runge-Kutta discontinuous Galerkin (RKDG2) model has been reformulated to numerically solve the morphodynamic equations in a fully coupled manner and with a noncapacity sediment model. The model’s implementation is thoroughly detailed with focus on the discretization of the complex source terms, the treatment of wetting and drying, and other stabilizing issues pertaining to high-solution gradients and the transient character of the topography. The model has been favorably applied to replicate experimental dam-break flow over erodible sediment beds.