Concordia University Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering

CIVI 381 Hydraulics Fall 2013 Experiment #8: Discharge over a Rectangular Weir

This document describes the objectives to be reached, the apparatus to be used, the experimental procedures to be followed and the observations to be made. It also outlines the methods for calculating some physical quantities associated with the flow over the weir.

Special instruction: Students must fill out the appropriate empty spaces in this document (allocated for observed and calculated quantities). submit this document together with original graphs to their laboratory demonstrator.

Submissions of the document and graphs are due within ONE WEEK of the date of the scheduled laboratory work (see the course outline), which are mandatory. 1. Objectives

Consider an unsuppressed (contracted) horizontal weir that has a crest shorter than the width of the channel. Water contracts both horizontally and vertically in order to flow over the crest. The objective of this experiment is to determine the discharge coefficient and the exponent of the weir equation.

2.

Thoery

We may apply the energy principle to the problem of discharge over a sharp-crested weir. It can be shown that the total discharge, Q, can be estimated using

Q=

2 C d 2 g (L 0.2 H )H 3 / 2 3

(1)

where Cd is a discharge coefficient, g is gravitational acceleration, L is the width of the contracted weir and H is upstream water surface elevation relative to the crest of the weir.

3.

Apparatus

The experiment set up consists of a contracted weir (Figure 1), and a hydraulic bench with water pump and flow rate measurement mechanism (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Contracted weir

Figure 2. Hydraulic Bench

4.

Experimental Procedures

Students are required to perform the experiments six times (6 experiment runs), each time with a different discharge. The experimental procedures to be followed are outlined below: (a) Level the apparatus. (b) Set the desired upstream water level (between a maximum of 95 mm and a minimum of 75 mm). (c) Record the gauge reading of water level (d) Record the fluid weight (the scale is 1:3, see Figure 2) (e) Convert the fluid weigh to volume (f) Determine the discharge

5.

Observations and Analysis

Observations of the following physical quantities need to be made: Length of the weir L:___________ (mm) Height of the weir crest P above the channel bottom:____________(mm) Run Gauge reading (water level) (mm) 1 ( 95 mm) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ( 75 mm) 6. Results 7. Make an Excel plot that shows Log H vs. Log Q, based on the experimental data. The data should show approximately a straight line. Find the slope of the straight line (It should be close to 1.5). Indicate the slope on your Excel plot. Estimate the discharge coefficient, Cd, in equation (1), and enter the results on the table above. Discussion (m) H Fluid weight (kg) Fluid volume (m3) Elapsed time t (m) Discharge Q m3/s Cd

Provide discussions about errors in the measured quantities and errors in the estimates of Cd.