ABSTRACT
Air-water flows have been studied recently compared to classical fluid mechanics. Although some researchers observed free-surface aeration and discussed possible effects since Antiquity, the first successful experimental investigations were conducted during the mid-20th century: i.e., EHRENBERGER (1926) in Austria and STRAUB and ANDERSON (1958) in North-America. The latter data set is still widely used by engineers and researchers. Another milestone was the series of prototype experiments performed on the Aviemore dam spillway in New Zealand under the supervision of I.R. WOOD (CAIN and WOOD 1981). Laboratory and prototype investigations showed the complexity of the free-surface aeration process. Ian R. WOOD further developed the basic principles of modern self-aerated flow calculations (e.g. WOOD 1991). Recent developments were discussed in FALVEY (1980), WOOD (1991) and CHANSON (1997).
