Date of Award:

8-2026

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Blake P. Tullis

Committee

Blake P. Tullis

Committee

Brian Crookston

Committee

Som Dutta

Abstract

Hydraulic models are commonly used to predict how water moves through rivers and streams, helping engineers manage flood risk and design infrastructure such as bridges, culverts, and restoration projects. One challenge in these models is representing the effects of riverbed roughness, including features such as rocks, vegetation, and other obstacles that slow water flow.

This study investigated whether it is better to represent these roughness features in detail or to simplify them while still accounting for their effects. Laboratory measurements from a controlled channel experiment were used to create two computer models: one that included the detailed shape of the roughness elements and another that used a smoothed representation of the channel.

The results showed that the simplified model more accurately predicted observed water levels than the model that explicitly included the roughness features. The detailed model consistently predicted water depths that were too high. These findings suggest that for many two-dimensional hydraulic models, simplifying the channel boundary while accounting for roughness through calibration may yield more reliable results than directly representing every roughness feature.

Although this study focused on a controlled laboratory channel, the findings provide insight into how engineers can improve the accuracy and reliability of hydraulic models used for river and floodplain analysis.

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