Lecture 6

Best Hydraulic Sections

Best Hydraulic Sections

The conveyance of an open channel increases with increasing

hydraulic radius and, correspondingly, decreasing wetted

perimeter.
1.486
1.486 A 2 / 3 1/ 2
AR 2 / 3 S 1/ 2
A( ) S
n
n
p
1.486 5 / 3 1/ 2 1
(
A S )( 2 / 3 )
n
p

Best hydraulic section is defined as the cross section with the

maximum conveyance for a given slope, cross sectional area,

and roughness coefficient. This is equivalent to a cross
section with the smallest wetted perimeter. Mathematically, it
can be expressed as follows:
dp
0
dy
2

Best Hydraulic Sections

For a Rectangular Channel

Typical Best Hydraulic Sections

Semicircle

Triangle

Rectangle

Trapezoid

Typical Best Hydraulic Sections