Modeling energy dissipation over stepped spillways using machine learning approaches

•We applied ANN and GEP to predict energy dissipation over stepped spillway.•For both techniques 12 same models were evaluated.•We selected the best model for all kind of data to predict energy dissipation.•For nappe data, drop number is effective on energy dissipation.

SummaryStudy of the energy dissipation over the stepped spillways is necessary in flood control-related studies. The aim of this study is to apply different methods to modeling energy dissipation in nappe and skimming flow regimes over stepped spillway by using original experimental dataset through the artificial networks (ANNs) and Genetic Expression Programming (GEP) techniques. Subsequently, three kinds of data including the napped and skimming regimes data as well as combination of them are applied as models input–output variables. A preliminary investigation on various GEP operators is also carried out for selecting the proper operators. The obtained results indicate that applied machine learning techniques have reliable performance in predicting energy dissipation over stepped spillways.