Deflector ski jump hydraulics

Ski jumps are a standard element of dam spillways for an efficient energy dissipation if takeoff velocities are large, and stilling basins cannot be applied. This laboratory study investigates the hydraulic performance of a triangular-shaped, rather than the conventional circular-shaped, bucket placed at the takeoff of ski jumps. The following items were addressed: (1) pressure head maximum and pressure distribution along the triangular-shaped bucket; (2) takeoff characteristics as a function of the bucket deflector angle and the relative bucket height including the lower and the upper jet trajectories; (3) jet impact characteristics in a prismatic tailwater channel including the shock wave formation and the height of recirculation depth below the jet cavity; (4) energy dissipation across the ski jump, from the approach flow channel to downstream of jet impact; and (5) choking flow conditions of the flip bucket. A significant effect of the approach flow Froude number, the relative bucket height, and the deflector angle is found. A comparison with previous results for the circular-shaped bucket geometry indicates a favorable behavior of the novel bucket design.