Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides contemporary laboratory and field experimentation in civil engineering hydraulics. It also provides incisive guidance on capabilities, limitation, and implementation of hydraulics instruments and measurement techniques; this guidance aids the selection and use of instruments and measurement techniques. The book presents contemporary knowledge and methods regarding instrumentation and measurement techniques for hydraulic experiments. It also presents the role of instruments, their capabilities and limitations, and their proper use in experimental studies. The book deals with the theoretical foundation of hydraulics and experimental methods, including similitude analysis, an important tool for the design of experiments. It describes flow visualization, measurement instrumentation, and experimental techniques that lead to measurements and outlines the promising use of autonomous underwater vehicles.