Can't get enough of Caedium's free surface simulations? Then this new post is for you. This animation shows a transient CFD simulation of a dam break over an obstacle. The simulation is performed in pseudo 2D, i.e., it is one cell thick.

Multi-Block Topology

As in the previous tank filling animation, this simple geometry is easily constrained to be a multi-block topology to produce a hexahedra mesh.

Dam Break Multi-Block Topology

Note that I didn't connect the faces across the baffle (shown shaded above) so that it remains as an obstacle (double-sided wall) for the flow.

Hexahedra Mesh

The mesh resolution is easily controlled by adding accuracy constraints to the outer edges of the front faces.

Dam Break Multi-Block Hexahedra Mesh

Physics

Prior to running the simulation the water (alpha1 = 1) is initialized to occupy two of the volumes.

Dam Break Initial Condition

Immediately the simulation starts moving forward in time (running) the notional dam holding back the water is removed. The water is then free to descend under gravity producing the spectacular waves that crash into the obstacle.

Dam Break Running

More

Checkout Caedium tutorials on:

• Multi-block topology construction at "Water Tank"
• Movie creation for a tank filling simulation at "Transient Water and Air Flow in a Tank"