Comparative Study of the Material Point Method and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Applied to the Numerical Simulation of a Dam-Break Flow in the Presence of Geometric Obstacles

Dam break is one of the greatest hazards causing damages in urban and rural areas throughout the world. It can happen due to design and construction errors, heavy rainfall, earthquakes or glacier melting, among other reasons. Once the dam collapses, the resulting flow can become even worse due to obstacles, like houses, walls, bridges and trees, which can be impacted and transported along with the water. The prevention or reduction of the downstream effects of a dam break due to the complex and highly energized flow has been a challenge to researchers and engineers all over the world. The present study aimed to compare two free computer programs for numerical simulation of a flow with obstacles, based on available experimental data. These programs are based on the material point method (MPM) and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), respectively. The numerical results of the two programs were in good agreement with experimental data, although important differences in computing time were observed. Therefore, these methods seem to be potential tools for the prediction of dam-break flows.