IMPORTANCE OF INLET DESIGN ON CULVERT CAPACITY, WITH DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE

THE DESIGN OF A CULVERT INLET HAS SIGNIFICANT BEARING UPON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE HEAD TO THE DISCHARGE OF A CULVERT. ITS RELATIVE IMPORTANCE IS CONTINGENT UPON THE TYPE OF FLOW OCCURRING IN THE CULVERT, WHICH IN TURN IS GOVERNED BY THE LOCATION OF THE CONTROL SECTION. THE HEAD-DISCHARGE CURVES OF CULVERTS HAVING SQUARE-EDGED INLETS HAVE BEEN COMPARED WITH THOSE FOR CULVERTS HAVING ROUNDED INLETS TO ILLUSTRATE THE CONDITIONS FOR WHICH A HEAD-ADVANTAGE MAY BE OBTAINED BY USING A ROUNDED INLET. THESE COMPARISONS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR THREE CATEGORIES OF CULVERT FLOW: LONG CULVERTS ON STEEP SLOPES, LONG CULVERTS ON MILD SLOPES, AND SHORT CULVERTS. DIMENSIONLESS HEAD-DISCHARGE CURVES HAVE BEEN PLOTTED FOR CULVERT FLOW IN EACH CATEGORY. FOR CULVERTS ON STEEP SLOPES, EXPERIMENTAL DATA HAVE BEEN COMPARED WITH THE COMPUTED VALUES AND, SINCE THE AGREEMENT WAS REASONABLY GOOD, SERVE AS A BASIS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF FLOW IN CULVERTS OPERATING UNDER CONDITIONS OTHER THAN THOSE FOR WHICH THE TESTS WERE MADE. THE GREATEST HEAD ADVANTAGE FOR A PARTICULAR DISCHARGE OF THE ROUNDED INLET OVER THAT OF A SQUARE-EDGED INLET WAS FOUND FOR THOSE CASES IN WHICH THE CONTROL SECTION WAS LOCATED AT THE INLET. THESE WERE LONG CULVERTS ON STEEP SLOPES OR SHORT CULVERTS WHERE THE LENGTH WAS NEGLIGIBLE AS REGARDS BARREL FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE TO FLOW. FOR LONG CULVERTS ON MILD SLOPES, THE HEAD-ADVANTAGE WAS FAR LESS PRONOUNCED. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbresearchrpts/1953/15B-002.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Highway Research Board (HRB)

  Washington, DC   
• Authors:
  • Straub, Lorenz G
  • Anderson, Alvin G
  • Bowers, Charles E
• Discussers:
  • Mavis, F T
  • Stelson, T E
  • Izzard, Carl F
• Conference:
  • 32nd Annual Conference of the Highway Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1953-1-13 to 1953-1-16
• Publication Date: 1953

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: 19p
• Monograph Title: Culvert hydraulics
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Research Reports
  • Issue Number: 15B
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Culvert inlets; Culverts; Design; Hydraulics; Slopes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Inlets
• Old TRIS Terms: Artesian pressures; Culvert hydraulics
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00204416
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 22 1972 12:00AM