ABSTRACT
Experimental hydraulics is the scientific method based on dimensional analysis, similarity, and experimentation used for defining and quantifying the behavior of hydraulic systems or processes that cannot be satisfactorily treated using analytical or computational approaches. Experimental hydraulics continues to be needed, since only a handful of the hydraulic processes have been thoroughly solved analytically or computationally. Even with the increase in the reliability and popularity of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the need remains for experimental data to establish boundary and initial conditions and verify CFD results. As in any scientific field, experiments in hydraulics are performed for a variety of purposes. This chapter lists common purposes for hydraulic experimentation. There are physical and procedural components involved in the design of a hydraulic experiment. Physical components include facilities, measurement systems, operators and the measurement environment. Procedural components entail measurement and data-processing operations typically grouped in customized procedures.
