Research in hydraulic engineering
Research in hydraulic engineering means first and foremost: Working with models - physical, analytical or numerical experiments, calculations and simulations.
The Chair’s research spectrum
The Chair of Hydraulic Engineering with the affiliated Hubert Engels Laboratory conducts both fundamental and contract research on hydraulic engineering topics, such as
- Hydraulics of hydraulic engineering installations (dams, reservoirs, dykes, dams, weirs, locks, culverts, hydroelectric power plants, pipelines, fittings),
- Stream hydraulics (especially during low and high water in urban areas, interaction between flow - vegetation - morphology, natural bank protection),
- River and lake morphology (especially sediment management, bank protection, wind influence),
- Waterway engineering (especially ship-induced loads on waterways, navigability analyses),
- Eco- and ethohydraulic processes and conditions (habitat assessment, fish migration aids).
For this purpose, we use and develop multi-scale numerical methods (CFD), carry out both physical model tests in the affiliated Hubert Engels Laboratory and in-situ field tests, and apply analytical and so-called hybrid, coupled methods.
Our research focuses on urban flood risk management, near-natural watercourse development and watercourse assessment using habitat modelling, and fish passability at transverse structures using ethohydraulic analyses and functional checks.