Stepped spillways have been increasingly used to handle flood releases from large dams associated with hydropower plants, and it is important to evaluate the fluctuating pressure field on the steps. Hydraulic model investigations were conducted on three 53° (1V:0.75H) sloping and relatively large-stepped chutes to characterize the mean, fluctuating, and extreme pressures acting on the most critical regions of the step faces, near their outer edges. The pressure development along the chutes is presented, generally indicating an increase of the modulus of pressure coefficients up to the vicinity of the point of inception of air entrainment, and a decrease further downstream. The extreme pressure coefficients along the spillway are fitted by an empirical formula, and the critical conditions potentially leading to cavitation on prototypes are calculated. The correlation between the cavitation index and the friction factor is also applied for predicting the onset of cavitation on prototypes, and the results are compared with the pressure data-based method. Generally, the results obtained from those methods yield typical values for the cavitation index in the vicinity of the point of inception, varying approximately from 0.8 to 0.6, respectively. In light of these results, maximum unit discharges of about 15–20 m²/s are considered advisable on 53° sloping large-stepped spillways without artificial aeration, for step heights ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 m. For much higher unit discharges, a considerable reach of the spillway may potentially be prone to the risk of cavitation damage.

The overflow system of a dam safely controls the water level of a reservoir. The design of these structures should predict the damage caused by the action of the turbulent flow to which they are subject to. The combination formed by a stepped spillway followed by a stilling basin promotes a considerable portion of the energy dissipation in the actual chute of the stepped spillway but it is not sufficient to completely avoid the risk of damaging the basin. In this paper, we analyze the longitudinal distribution of extreme pressures in a stilling basin downstream of a stepped spillway. The study was based on the instant pressure data from the tests carried out in a physical model in the Laboratório de Obras Hidráulicas in IPH/UFRGS. Thus, it was found that the pressure behavior is similar to that observed in studies involving smooth chute spillways, except in the area surrounding the base of the stepped spillway, where high pressure fluctuations may occur. This happens as a result of the impact caused by the flow in the dissipation structure, which is not observed downstream of smooth chute spillways due to the existence of a vertical concordance curve between the spillway and the stilling basin.

The possibility of damage due to the phenomenon of cavitation leads the design of stepped spillways considering maximum specific discharges of 15 to 30 m2/s, a limit considerably lower than that practiced on smooth chutes. Aerators promote the insertion of air in the flow, allowing for the increase of specific flow rates. This work analyzes the pressures on the vertical faces of the steps and the air entrainment coefficient in the flow, through an experimental study in a physical model with a stepped chute angle of 53.13o, considering the installation of aerators in different places of the channel. Comparing the tested conditions with the natural aeration, it is concluded that the installation of the aerator does not change the magnitude of the minimum extreme hydrodynamic pressures, but anticipates the beginning of the flow aeration. A new equation is proposed to estimate the air entrainment coefficient, as well as a methodology for forecasting extreme pressures on the vertical faces of the steps, both valid in the range 3.0 ≤ Fr ≤ 6.0.

The operation of stepped spillways is limited by a range of discharges due to the risk of occurrence of the cavitation phenomenon and erosion on its steps. Since there is a demand for spillways with the possibility of overflow of greater discharges, the designs seek to increase the air concentration of the flow, which can occur through the installation of piers in the spillway in order to protect the structure from the above mentioned damage. The aim of this work is to analyze flow characteristics and extreme minimum and maximum pressures with non-exceedance probability of 0.1% and 99.9% acting next to the step edges of the spillway with aeration induced by piers through an experimental analysis in a physical model. Based on the results obtained, flow behavior was defined and equations for predicting the extreme pressures that occur along the stepped spillway with aeration induced by piers were proposed.

Stepped spillways can dissipate a great amount of energy during the flow passage over the chute, however these structures have limited operation due to the risk of cavitation damage. The induced aeration may protect the concrete chute through the air concentration near the channel bottom. Furthermore, some research studies have indicated that the presence of air in flows may reduce the mean pressures. The present research aims to analyze mean pressures, air entrainment coefficient and flow behavior over a stepped spillway with aeration induced by two different deflectors, comparing the results to natural aeration flow. Despite the jet impact influence, the induced aeration does not change significantly the mean pressures compared to natural aeration flow. The air entrainment coefficient, as well as the jet impact position, is higher for the deflector with the longer extension and, although air bubbles can be seen throughout the extension of the chute due to the air entrainment through the inferior flow surface, the induced aeration did not anticipate the boundary layer inception point position.

The hydrodynamic conditions to which hydraulic structures such as spillways and stilling basins of dams are submitted under given conditions favor the occurrence of cavitation, damaging the concrete surfaces. This damage may be intensified by the cumulative effect of the successive hydrologic events that characterize the operational regime of these structures. Thus, the purpose of the present article is to identify the propensity for damage caused by cavitation by using SpillwayPro software to estimate the hydraulic parameters of flow (mean velocities and cavitation indices) based on information on smooth chute spillways at the Furnas, Luiz Carlos Barreto de Carvalho and Batalha hydroelectric power plants. The results shown were compared to the critical limits of cavitation defined in the literature on photographic records of inspections performed in the field. The highest mean velocities estimated coincided with the zones where the worst potential damage of the structures was identified. Nevertheless, most of the cavitation indices obtained did not present results similar to the limits presented by different authors, and thus do not favor the indication of cavitation risks due to this parameter in the spillways examined.