Dike-break induced flows: a simplified model

A simplified model for the prediction of the steady-state outflow through a breach in an inland dike is presented. It consists in the application of the mass and momentum conservation principles to a macroscopic control volume. A proper definition of the shape of the control volume enables to take into account the main characteristics of the flow and thus to compensate for the extreme simplification of the space discretisation of the model. At the breach, a relation derived from the shallow-water equations is used to determine the directions of the flow. Developments have been guided by numerical simulations and results have been compared to experimental data. Both the precision and the application domain of the simplified model are found satisfactory.