Application of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) for Simulating Flow Patterns in Partially Vegetated Channels

This study investigates the capability of a two-dimensional Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model to simulate turbulent flow structures in a partially vegetated channel, an approach that has received limited attention in previous research. The model incorporates the Sub-Particle Scale (SPS) eddy-viscosity formulation with a fixed Smagorinsky constant (𝐶𝑠 = 0.12). Numerical results were validated against detailed experimental data obtained from large-scale flume tests conducted at the Coastal Engineering Laboratory of the Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy. High-resolution measurements of the instantaneous threedimensional velocity components were acquired using a Vectrino 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV). The SPH simulations successfully reproduced the principal spatial flow features, including the velocity field structure, shear layer development, turbulence intensity distribution, and vortical patterns. Nevertheless, the model exhibited some limitations in quantitatively reproducing the observed turbulence levels.