Increasing the water discharge coefficient of piano key weirs using physical models

Overflows play an important role technically and economically in optimizing the operation of water storage structures. Piano key weir is an advanced and developed type of spillway that can transfer large amounts of discharge by keeping executive costs constant. The aim of this study was to determine the parameters affecting the discharge coefficient, using nine physical models. The ratio of the width of the input keys (Wi) to the output (Wo) in the seven overflows were: 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 (PK1.0, PK1.1, PK1, PK1.3, PK1.4, PK1.5 and PK1.6 respectively) and the other two models included PKT (thicker-walled) and PKTP (thicker-walled and crown-enhanced). The effect of changing the width of the inlet (Wi) and outlet (Wo) keys on the discharge coefficient and stage-discharge curve, the effect of wall thickness and parapet wall were evaluated. Results showed that the best model for changing the inlet and outlet widths was the model of PK1.4, which resulted in 30% increase in discharge rate compared with the control. The increase in wall thickness led to an increase in the discharge at a 5% rate in comparison with control and installing parapet wall resulted in a 10% increase in discharge and a uniform distribution of flow lines on the weir. According to the results of this research, based on the superiority of three models of PK1.4, PKT and PKTP, the geometric properties of these models can be used as a model in optimizing the design of piano key weirs.