Hydraulic Characteristics and Data-Driven Prediction of Discharge Coefficient in Rectangular Labyrinth Side Weirs

Rectangular labyrinth side weirs are widely used as flow-diversion structures in irrigation and drainage systems due to their ability to enhance discharge capacity by increasing the effective crest length within limited channel widths. In the present study, laboratory experiments were conducted under subcritical flow conditions to investigate the discharge characteristics of a rectangular labyrinth side weir installed in a straight channel. The influence of key hydraulic and geometric parameters on the discharge coefficient (C_D) was systematically examined. A statistical F-test was applied to identify the relative significance of the governing dimensionless parameters affecting C_D. Based on the experimental dataset, a nonlinear regression model was developed to establish a predictive relationship between C_D and the dominant flow variables. The developed regression model showed good agreement with experimental data, with an overall correlation coefficient (R = 0.8572) and a low RMSE value of 0.1282 respectively, along with reasonable prediction accuracy reflected by low RMSE values. The outcomes of this study improve the understanding of discharge behaviour of rectangular labyrinth side weirs and provide a practical regression-based formulation that can assist in hydraulic design and performance evaluation of flow-diversion structures.

Rectangular labyrinth side weir, Discharge coefficient, Three-cycle configuration, Nonlinear regression

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