Yes / In this paper, an improved Shiono-Knight model (SKM) has been proposed to calculate the rectangular compound open channel flows by considering a Multi-Zonal (MZ) approach in modelling turbulence and secondary flows across lateral flow direction. This is an effort to represent natural flows with compound shape more closely. The proposed model improves the estimation of secondary flow by original SKM model to increase the accuracy of depthaveraged velocity profile solution formed within the transitional region between different sections (i.e. between main-channel and floodplain) of compound channel. This proposed MZ model works by sectioning intermediate zones between floodplain and main-channel for running computation in order to improve the modelling accuracy. The modelling results have been validated using the experimental data by national UK Flood Channel Facility (FCF). It has been proven to work reasonably well to model secondary flows within the investigated compound channel flow cases and hence produce better representation to their flow lateral velocity profile.

Yes / Natural earth-bounded channel flows usually subject to various sidewall turbulences, i.e. in the form of secondary currents, due to non-constant channel shapes at different sections. This paper investigates an improved Shiono-Knight model (SKM) by combining it with a Multi-Zonal (MZ) method (proposed by Pu, 2019) to represent lateral flow turbulence and secondary currents in different shapes of open channel, i.e. rectangular and trapezoidal. By applying the proposed analytical model to both rectangular and trapezoidal channel flows, we have inspected different streamwise velocity characteristics across transverse direction generated by their sidewalls in order to provide crucial fundamental understanding to real-world natural flow system. The proposed model has also been validated via various experimental data conducted in national UK Flood Channel Facility (UK-FCF). It has been observed that the trapezoidal channel has created a larger sidewall zone where secondary current can affect flow velocity; however, the intensity of the secondary flow in trapezoidal channel has been found lesser than that of the rectangular channel. By improving the modelling of natural flow at sidewall, the studied approach could be adapted into different existing analytical models to improve their accuracy.