An attempt at using the entropy approach to predict the transverse distribution of boundary shear stress in open channel flow

Abstract.

 This paper highlights the similarities between a number of studies which have applied the concept of Shannon's entropy to Hydraulic Engineering. The entropy concept is further developed in an attempt to predict the transverse distribution of boundary shear stress in circular open channels. The approach is also extended and applied to circular channels with a flat bed and trapezoidal channels, and the Lagrange multipliers, λ, found by recourse to empirical equations. Doubts are expressed concerning the value of the entropy approach to such problems.