34723 - Hydraulic Protection of Territory M

Learning outcomes

The student will master the tools necessary for monitoring, preventing, and forecasting hydrological and hydraulic risks. Furthermore, the student will be able to plan and design structural and non-structural measures for the hydraulic protection of the territory.

Course contents

Module 1 (shared with Environmental Engineering Students).

Review of open-channel hydraulics. Uniform flow. Backwater profiles for gradually varied flow in prismatic and natural channels. Introduction to river flood routing.

Flows in erodible channels and sediment transport. Sediment characteristics. Bed instability phenomena; bed forms and their effect on flow resistance. Bed-load and suspended-load transport. Formulas for predicting sediment transport. Calculation of the equilibrium configuration of a river reach.

Overview of hydraulic protection measures: Integrated water resource management and hydraulic protection. River Basin Authorities. Planning of interventions.

Mountain streams management. Calculation of the equilibrium slope; check dams and design criteria; bank protection; groynes and revetments.

River regulation and flood control. Structural and non-structural measures. River embankments. Diversion channels and spillways. Flood retention basins. Measures to modify the stage-discharge relationship. Flood forecasting. Impact of hydraulic structures on the river regime. Effects of flood control structures (embankments, attenuation reservoirs, etc.) on areas upstream and downstream of the protected zone. Effects on free-surface profiles under steady-flow conditions. Effects during flood events.

Module 2 (only Civil Engineering Students)

Mathematical modeling of flood routing. Hydraulic and hydrological models for simulating flood propagation. Simplified numerical models. Kinematic model. Parabolic model. Finite difference methods. Explicit and implicit numerical methods. Characteristic lines: derivation of the basic equations. Method of characteristics: grid construction, boundary conditions. Hydrological models.

Module 3 (only Civil Engineering Students)

Acquisition and analysis of hydrological and meteorological data and catchment characterization. Uncertainties in the measurement and estimation of hydrological and meteorological variables. Acquisition and processing of data from open-access platforms. Validation and gap-filling of hydro-meteorological time series. Characterization of hydrological regimes and development of flow duration curves for both gauged and ungauged catchments.

The module includes an individual student assignment aimed at the acquisition and validation of streamflow time-series and the derivation and analysis of the corresponding flow duration curves.

Module 4 (only Civil Engineering Students)

Hydraulic structures and outlet works for the operation of artificial reservoirs. Technical standards and regulatory framework governing the design, construction, and operation of water-retaining structures (dams and weirs). Surface spillways, bottom outlets, and their associated control and closure devices.

The module includes an individual assignment focused on the analysis of a selected dam, aimed at examining the structural and functional characteristics of its outlet works and evaluating their discharge capacity.

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture slides, as well as review articles and research papers that are not open access, will be made available on Virtuale. For those wishing to explore the topic in greater depth, the following texts are recommended.

- U. Maione. Le piene fluviali, La goliardica pavese, Pavia.

- D. Citrini, G. Noseda. Idraulica. Ambrosiana Milano.

- G. Becciu, A. Paoletti. Fondamenti di costruzioni idrauliche, Utet, Torino.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures. Seminars with experts and technical visits. In-class exercises and home assignments, using spreadsheets and/or macro-language coding.

Assessment methods

Student achievement is assessed through an oral exam where the student replies to open questions focusing on the topics covered during the lectures (students should attend all lectures or obtain the notes from their colleagues when absent) and discusses the home assignments.

Students will pass the examination if they demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental concepts presented in the course and the ability to apply them to solve practical engineering problems. Higher marks will be awarded to those who demonstrate a thorough understanding of all the content covered in class and are able to explain it accurately and with appropriate disciplinary language. Failure to pass the examination may result from an insufficient understanding of the fundamental concepts included in the course syllabus.

Teaching tools

Lecture slides, assignments and exercises are published in the collection “Virtuale” - University of Bologna (virtuale.unibo.it/) for registered students.

The teaching material is partly in Italian and partly in English.

Office hours

See the website of Armando Brath

See the website of Elena Toth

See the website of Cristiana Bragalli