Davide Wüthrich

Profile

Davide Wüthrich is a civil engineer specialized in hydraulic structures and environmental fluid mechanics, currently Assistant Professor at TU Delft. He obtained a B.Sc. degree in civil engineering at Politecnico di Torino (Italy), followed by a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).  He has actively participated in research and consulting projects in Switzerland, Canada, Japan and Australia, where he is Honorary Lecturer at The University of Queensland.

Research

His research interests lie within the broad domains of hydraulic engineering and environmental fluid mechanics. His Ph.D. thesis focused on the resilience of hydraulic infrastructure, showing a link between building geometry, wave’s hydrodynamic properties and impact loads. He was involved in applied projects on disaster prevention, developing scour protection measures in stilling basins downstream of hydropower plants. Most recently, his research focused on the experimental investigation of air-water flow properties in highly unsteady flows, applied to flood protection measures.

Educational Activities

MSc. courses

• CIE5313 – Hydraulic Structures 2

Key Publications

1. Wüthrich, D., Shi, R. and Chanson, H. (2021). Strong free-surface turbulence in breaking bores: physical study on the free-surface dynamics and air-water interfacial features. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 924, p. A20 (DOI: 10.1017/jfm.2021.614) [link]
2. Wüthrich, D., Shi, R. and Chanson, H. (2020). Physical study on the 3-dimensional characteristics and free-surface properties of a breaking roller in bores and surges. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Vol 112, p. 109980. (DOI: 10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2019.109980) [link]
3. Wüthrich D., Ylla Arbós, C., Pfister M., and Schleiss A.J. (2020). Effect of debris damming on wave-induced loads against free-standing buildings with openings. Journal of Waterways, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Vol. 146, No. 1, p. 04019036. (DOI : 10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000541) [link]
4. Wüthrich, D. Pfister, M. and Schleiss, A.J. (2019). Effect of bed roughness on tsunami-like waves and induced loads on buildings. Coastal Engineering. Vol. 152, p. 51-61 (DOI : 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2019.103508) [link]
5. Wüthrich, D., Pfister, M., Nistor, I. and Schleiss, A.J. (2018). Experimental study on forces exerted on buildings with openings due to extreme hydrodynamic events. Coastal Engineering, Vol. 140, p. 72-86 (DOI: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2018.06.002) [link]
6. Wüthrich, D., Pfister, M., Nistor, I. and Schleiss, A.J. (2018). Experimental study on the hydrodynamic impact of tsunami-like waves against impervious free-standing buildings. Coastal Engineering Journal, Vol. 60, n.2, p. 180-199. (DOI : 10.1080/21664250.2018.1466676) [link] Winner of the Coastal Engineering Journal 2018 Award
7. Wüthrich, D., Pfister, M. Nistor, I. and Schleiss, A.J. (2018). Experimental Study of Tsunami-Like Waves Generated with a Vertical Release Technique on Dry and Wet Beds. ASCE Journal of Waterways, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering, Vol. 144, n. 4, 04018006. (DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000447) [link]
8. Wüthrich, D. and Chanson, H. (2014). Hydraulics, Air Entrainment, and Energy Dissipation on a Gabion Stepped Weir. ASCE Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol.140, n. 9, 04014046. (DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0000919) [link]

View Davide's profile on ResearchGate