Q. What do you mean by hydraulic modelling?

Modelling is neither new nor relevant to hydraulic engineering only. It is practiced in the field of hydraulic machinery for testing pumps and turbines, in ship hydrodynamics for studying ship characteristics and in aircraft industry for testing aerofoil shapes. Modelling can be either physical or conceptual. Hydraulic and structural models are illustrations of physical modelling while mathematical and stochastic models are examples of the second category. Hydraulic modelling has become popular because of its several inherent advantages. Design conditions are rarely obtained in nature. Even if they are sometimes experienced, their duration can only be short. It is, however, possible to impose design conditions on the model any number of times and sufficiently long to permit thorough testing. Models are also useful in diagnosing causes of failures. New ideas can be easily put to test in a model but not in a proto-type. In view of these over whelming benefits, hydraulic modeIIling has been accepted and practiced universally.