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Abstract
Stepped chutes have been frequently used since the 1980s in order to take advantage of their dissipation efficiency, aeration characteristics and relative ease of construction. Two basic flow regimes exist for stepped chutes: nappe flow and skimming flow, with the nappe flow having received less attention in comparison to the skimming flow regime. This work suggests a simple iterative method, valid for sub-to-supercritical approach flow conditions, for predicting the basic nappe flow features on a horizontal multi-step structure. The proposed calculation procedure, if applied along the stepped chute, allows us to calculate the flow depth at each step brink and at each nappe impact point, the thickness of the water cushion beneath the nappe, the jet impact length and the energy dissipation rate. For validating the proposed analytical approach, a comparison between experimental and calculated data is also presented.