ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The Piano KeyWeir (PKW), invented at the end of the 90’s by Hydrocoop, was the subject of fruitful Research & Development during these last 15 years. The keynote summarizes the main results obtained with the physical and numerical models and their applications to existing and planned projects. For the recent projects, the paper indicates the possibilities and advantages of the PKW’s utilization and the problem of the choice of the main parameters for the design. The paper presents briefly the past studies concerning some specific issues for a good utilization of the PKW and some proposed alternatives linked to the PKW concept. For planned projects, it is always necessary to carry out in parallel, at the commencement of the design, the hydraulic and structural optimizations, taking into account all the site and construction data. In conclusion, the note suggests some R&D to be carried out in the future to expand the knowledge of PKW in order to improve their utilization and to develop new applications for more safe and economic spillways.
1 INTRODUCTION
