3-D finite-volume model of dam-break flow over uneven beds based on VOF method

•A 3-D numerical model has been developed to simulate dam-break flows over uneven beds.•The model adopts an explicit finite-volume method based on collocated mesh that fits on solid boundaries.•The application of the model revealed the robustness and accuracy of the model.•Comparisons with depth averaged 2-D and other 3-D models, available in the literature, have been presented.•Application of the model on large computational domains can be computationally expensive.

A 3-D numerical model has been developed to simulate dam-break flow over uneven beds in irregular domains. The model solves the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS) using a finite-volume method based on collocated mesh that fits the solid boundaries such as bed and walls. The velocity and pressure coupling is achieved using the PISO algorithm and the Rhie and Chow’s momentum interpolation. The Smagorinsky eddy viscosity model is used for turbulence closure of the RANS equations. The movement of water surface is captured using the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method with the Compressive Interface Capturing Scheme for Arbitrary Meshes (CICSAM) to solve the VOF advection equation. The accuracy and robustness of the model has been tested using several small- and large-scale laboratory experiments of dam-break flow. Some comparisons between the calculated results by the present model and those calculated by depth-averaged 2-D and 3-D models in the literature are presented.