CE467: Senior Design II

Shikha Rahman
CalPoly at SLO
Spring 2013

Learning Objectives

State Culvert design criteria.

Design Culverts.

Analyze existing culvert performances.

Use Nomographs for culvert design &

analysis.

Culverts on Streets

Culverts in
Detention
Ponds

Culverts

Culverts

A culvert is a short conduit that conveys stormwater

under an embankment.
Culverts typically used in roadway crossings and
detention pond outlets.

Allowable upstream water depth (headwater HW)

Downstream water surface elevation (tailwater TW)

Slope

Length.

HW Depth

TW Depth

Culverts

Culverts

Culvert material. Culvert material usually are

concrete and Corrugated Metal Pipe (CMP).

Outlet

Entrance
geometry.
This
includes
headwalls, wingwalls, alignment and culvert
edge configuration.

Culvert Shapes

Culvert Systems

Analysis typically for:

Culvert Barrels

Culvert Hydraulics: Control Type

Culverts act as a significant constriction to

flow and are subject to a range of flow
types, including both gradually varied and
rapidly varied flow.

Simplify by control type:

Size, shape and number of new or additional

culverts needed to pass a design discharge.
Hydraulic capacity of existing culvert system.
Upstream flood level at an existing culvert system
resulting from a specific discharge rate.
Hydraulic performance curves for a culvert
system (which are used to assess hydraulic risk at a
crossing or as input for another hydraulic or
hydrologic model).

Outlet Control

Inlet Control

Outlet Control Assumptions

Computes the upstream headwater depth using

conventional hydraulic methodologies that
consider the predominant losses due to
culvert barrel friction.

Also includes minor entrance and exit losses.

Tailwater condition has important effect on

culvert system.

Culvert Hydraulics

The controlling headwater depth is the

larger of the computed inlet and outlet
control headwater depths (since a single
culvert may at times operate under each of
the two control types).

The capacity is the smaller of the computed

inlet and outlet control capacities.

Inlet Control Assumptions

Computes upstream headwater depth

resulting from constriction at the culvert
entrance.

Neglects culvert barrel friction & tailwater.

OUTLET CONTROL

Culvert Hydraulics: Outlet Control

Outlet Submerged

Outlet Unsubmerged

TWD Culvert D

TWD< Culvert D

Culvert Hydraulics: Outlet Control

Culvert Hydraulics: Outlet Control

under outlet control

Culvert Hydraulics: Outlet Control

Four standard inlet types

(schematic) (from Normann et
al. (1985)).

Culvert Inlets at Entrance

Culvert Hydraulics: Outlet Control

Culvert Hydraulics: Outlet Control

Culvert Hydraulics: Outlet Control

Friction Losses in Barrel

Calculated using Mannings Equation.

1/ 2

C
C
h
V m R 2 / 3S 1 / 2 m R 2 / 3 l
n
n
L
hl

V 2n2 L
Cm 2 R 4 / 3

Cm 1.49
1.0

US unit
SI unit

Outlet Control: Exit Losses

INLET CONTROL

I think
Inlet
Control??

Culvert Hydraulics: Inlet Control

Culvert Hydraulics: Inlet Control

Inlet Unsubmerged
HWD<Culvert D
Types of inlet control.
(a) Outlet & inlet unsubmerged;
(b) Outlet submerged, inlet
unsubmerged;
(c) Inlet submerged;
(d) Outlet & inlet submerged
(from Normann et al. (1985)).

Inlet Submerged
HWD>Culvert D

Culvert Hydraulics: Inlet Control

Culvert Hydraulics: Inlet Control

Culvert Hydraulics: Inlet Control

Culvert Hydraulics: Inlet Control

2.0

Not power of S, refers to

notes

English is the US unit

The maximum velocity allowed is 10 ft/s.

Nomographs: Inlet Control

Nomographs: Outlet Control

Nomographs: Outlet Control

Example #3:
A circular concrete pipe culvert has a diameter of 36 in., a length of 100 ft, and
a slope of 0.50 percent, as illustrated in Figure below. The invert of the culvert
will match the channel bottom elevation, which is 125.30 ft at the upstream end.
Assuming that the culvert operates under inlet control, use nomograph
(attached) to estimate the headwater elevations corresponding to discharges of
30 and 60 cfs. The culvert inlet consists of a headwall with a square edge at the
barrel entrance.

Example #4:
#3

below.