Numerical investigation of ski jump hydraulics

The hydraulics of ski jumps is an issue of utmost importance in dam construction, the former being in practice the only existing solution as related to the dissipation of energy from high-speed spillway flows. Despite the fact that thousands of dams have been built all over the world, and aside from the availability of specific case studies, the general hydraulic behavior of ski jumps deserves a more complete and systematic comprehension. In the present work, the issue of the hydraulics of ski jumps is addressed numerically. After a first phase of calibration of the numerical model against experimental results obtained by others, a number of ski jump cases are simulated with particular attention to the heads at the impact of the falling jet and to the length of the jet itself. The results clarify several aspects that characterize this subject in a systematic manner and may provide useful suggestions for those involved in dam construction and management. © 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.