| Abstract: | Hysteresis represents a loop in a rating curve and is a phenomenon which closely resembles that occurring in stress–strain curves used for studying the elastic properties of solid substances in engineering mechanics. Earlier hysteresis‐based studies used for defining floodwave propagation in open channels have qualitatively shown that hysteresis is an index of energy loss during floodwave propagation. Using the concept of elasticity, this paper introduces a new term called flow strain (defined as the ratio of change in discharge to the initial discharge) for investigating hysteresis. The usefulness of this new term is evaluated with use of four dam‐break studies. The study reveals that: - 1 flow strain is a function of three wave speeds, Seddon speed, Lagrange speed, and elastic speed;
- 2 a single linear reservoir concept frequently used in flood routing is a specific variant of the Seddon speed formula;
- 3 the non‐linear storage–discharge relationship, widely used in overland flow modelling, is a variant of the kinematic wave representation;
- 4 the discharge ordinates on the recession part of a hydrograph follow a simple first‐order autoregressive form;
- 5 the hysteresis, phase difference and logarithmic decrement all define attenuation and are indices of energy loss during floodwave propagation.
Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
