ECV 3412 HYDRAULICS

SEMESTER 2 2018/2019

Uniform flow in an open

channel – designing a channel
DR. BALQIS MOHAMED REHAN
balqis@upm.edu.my
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 DESIGN OF CHANNEL FOR UNIFORM
FLOW
Drainage should be designed in an environmentally
responsible way to minimize disruption to the natural
environment: Engineered channels.

General requirements for channel design

Capable of transporting water between two points safely
Cost Effective (Economical design)
Design for
Lined channel (non-erodible)– fixed boundary
Unlined Channel (erodible) – loose boundary

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A concrete lined river
 Advantage and disadvantage of
lined and natural form channels
• Disadvantage:
– Lined channels are more costly than vegetation channel.
– Less efficient flow for a natural form of engineered
channel
– Natural-form channel require larger cross-sectional area to
convey the same flow
– Grassed channels generally requires suitable soils and
adequate area for installation.

• Advantage:
– Lined channels offer stability under higher velocities
– Lined channels can accept runoff immediately after
construction
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DESIGN PROCEDURES FOR ENGINEERED
CHANNELS
Factors to be considered are:
Type of material. Determines the roughness
coefficient
Longitudinal bed slope and sides slopes
The freeboard
The minimum permissible velocity
Effective section

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 (1) LINING MATERIAL
The purposes of lining a channel are
To prevent erosion
To reduce seepage
Reduce annual cost of maintenance
and operation
Ensure stability of channel section
Aesthetically look

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 (1) LINING MATERIAL
Soft-lined channels:
- grass cover: must be sturdy, drought resistant, easy to
establish. A thick root structure is necessary
Hard-lined channel:
- for upgrading works of existing area can use concrete,
stone pitching and rock mattresses. In cases where:
the flow velocity would cause scour in a grassed channel
continual maintenance work is a problem
other factors dictate that a grassed channel is not
practicable
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 (2) Longitudinal bed slope and
channel side slope

• Longitudinal bed slope need to be sufficient to ensure

that ponding and/or the accumulation of silt does not
occur.
• Longitudinal bed slope should not produce velocities less
than 0.6 m/s.
• Recommended side slope depends on the type of
channel.

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 (3) FREEBOARD

• It is a vertical distance between the design water level

surface to the top of the channel.
• The purpose of the freeboard is to prevent
overtopping of the top of the channel by fluctuation of
water surface.
• MASMA (2012) – Minimum 300 mm and higher
freeboard should be considered at locations where
hydraulic jumps are anticipated.

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 FREEBOARD

Discharge < 0.75 0.75 to 1.5 1.5 to 85 > 85

(m3/s)

Freeboard (m) 0.45 0.60 0.75 0.90

Suggested Freeboard (After Ranga Raju [1983])

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 (4) PERMISSIBLE VELOCITY
Minimum velocity refers to the lowest velocity which
will prevent both sedimentation and vegetative
growth.
Maximum velocity to ensure nonerosive velocity of
flow.

As a general guide
Average velocity from 0.61 to 0.91 m/s will prevent
sedimentation when the percentage (%) of silt present
is small
Velocity 0.76 m/s is to prevent vegetation growth
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 (5) Froude number
• Shows the characteristics of the channel in
terms of velocity and depth of flow.
• Guide channel design to prevent erosive
damage to the channel.
– Fr approaches 1: unstable. Need a very high
degree of erosion resistance lining.
– 0.8<Fr<1.2 : unstable and unpredictable
– Fr<0.8 (subcritical flow) is required for stability of
the channel
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Summary of design criteria of
engineered channel

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 DESIGN PROCEDURES FOR LINED
CHANNEL
1. Select lining material. Estimate manning roughness n
for selected lining material. nQ
AR 2 / 3 =
2. Select slope, S. S
3. Compute value of section factor, using a given design
discharge.
4. Write expression of A and R in terms of depth, y and
substitute them in the equation.
(This may require assumptions regarding sides slopes,
bottom widths etc. Trial and error method is used.)
5. Compute channel parameters that give effective section.
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DESIGN PROCEDURES FOR ENGINEERED
CHANNELS

6. Check minimum permissible velocity if water carries silt

or clay and for vegetation growth prevention
7. Check for Froude Number
8. Add suitable freeboard to the depth of channel section

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Example

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TERIMA KASIH / THANK YOU
www.upm.edu.my