CVNG 2003- Design II

Culvert Design

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CVNG2003
Culvert Basics

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Objectives
Know the basic definition and types
Know the basic types of culvert flow
Know how to determine HW depth for
inlet control

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Culvert Design
Conduit placed under a road to carry
water from one side to the other
Designed to pass a design flow
without overtopping the road

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Introduction
Selection or design should be based on
Hydraulic principles
Economy
Minimal effects on
adjacent property
by headwater depth
and outlet velocity

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Other considerations

Risk of property damage,

Construction and maintenance costs,
Traffic safety,
Environmental considerations,
Risks of failure, and
Aesthetic considerations.

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Culvert Flow
Complex
Pressure flow
Open channel flow
Combination

Variables

Slope
Pipe Diameter, Length and Roughness
Entrance Design
Exit Design

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Culvert Shapes

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Headwater (HWo)
Depth of upstream water surface
measured from invert of culvert
outlet

Invert: Invert refers to the inside bottom of the

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culvert

Headwater (HW)
Depth of upstream water
Should not exceed edge of shoulder
elevation (account for freeboard)
Should not be so high as to cause
flooding problems

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Tailwater (TW)
Depth of downstream water surface
measured from invert of culvert
outlet
Usually determined by backwater
calculations
Sometimes determined by normal depth
calculations

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Inlet Types

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Inlet Control
Inlet controls (or limits) the flow
Harder for flow to get through the
entrance of the culvert than it is to
flow through the remainder of the
culvert
Submerged inlets: have a
headwater greater than 1.2 times the
diameter of the culvert or barrel
height
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Inlet control
The control is
upstream
The headwater and
inlet configuration
affects culvert
performance.
Generally the inlet
face area is the same
as barrel area but it
can be tapered.
Control section is at
the throat

Flow passes the

critical depth just
downstream of the
entrance
Flow is super critical
Flows partially full
Downstream end of
the culvert goes to
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normal flow

Inlet Control B
Flow d/s of inlet is supercritical (below critical depth)
Hydraulic jump occurs in the barrel
Note that submergence of outlet does not assure outlet
control

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Inlet Control C
Barrel flow is partly full and supercritical (below critical depth)
Critical depth occurs just d/s of culvert entrance
Flow approaches normal depth @ outlet end

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Inlet Control D (rare)

Median drain provides ventilation/stable conditions
Hydraulic jump occurs in the barrel
Note that full-flow doesnt occur even though inlet/outlet are
submerged

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Outlet control
All of the factors that influences inlet
control also influences outlet control
Barrel characteristics (roughness,
area shape length slope) and
tailwater elevation affect outlet
control
Manning n value
Below classic outlet control
condition
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Outlet Control
Outlet control: involves the additional
considerations over the inlet control of the
elevation of the tailwater, slope roughness
and length of the culvert
Outlet controls (or limits) the flow
Harder for flow to negotiate length of culvert
than it is to get through the inlet (entrance)
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Outlet Control A (rare)

Pressure Flow
Full Flow
Most culverts dont operate this way
Inlet/Outlet Submerged

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Outlet Control B
Full Flow
Inlet not fully submerged

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Outlet Control C
Submerged inlet / unsubmerged outlet
Requires high HW
Outlet velocities usually high
Requires extremely high headwater to maintain full
barrel flow with no tailwater

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Outlet Control D
(Typical)
Inlet submerged
Outlet unsubmerged
Critical depth occurs just u/s of outlet
Low TW

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Outlet control

Typical condition
Partly full over the entire length
Flow is subcritical
Inlet and outlet are unsubmerged

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Terms
Backwater: constriction of flow causes a rise in the
normal water surface elevation upstream.
The magnitude of the rise is the backwater

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Hydraulic performance
Inlet control
conveying more flow than the inlet will accept
possible when the culvert slope is hydraulically
steep (dc > du).
critical depth occurs at or near the entrance
A hydraulic jump may occur
Upstream water surface elevation and inlet
geometry (barrel shape, cross-sectional area, and
inlet edge) are the major flow controls
downstream of the inlet control section do not
affect the culvert capacity
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Inlet control
Submergence of
the outlet end
Flow downstream
of inlet is
supercritical
Forms a jump in
the barrel

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Inlet control

Typical design situation

Inlet submerged outlet end flows freely
Flow supercritical
Flows partly full of the length
Critical depth just downstream of culvert
entrance
Flow approaches normal depth at the
downstream end

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Hydraulics-Energy Equation
(EGL)
HW and TW depths and elevations
Velocity head (u/s & d/s)
Head losses
Friction loss through the barrel
Entrance/Exit losses
Bend/Junction/Grate losses

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Definitions: Head
(Friction) Losses
He-entrance loss
Hf-friction loss through the barrel
Ho-exit loss
Other potential losses due to bends,
junctions and grates
Add losses up to calculated the total
energy required to push water through
the barrel
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Hydraulic performance
Outlet control
the culvert barrel is not capable of conveying
as much flow as the inlet opening will accept
the hydraulic grade line inside the culvert at
the entrance exceeds critical depth.
culvert is on a mild slope (dn > dc)
It is also possible to experience outlet
control with a culvert on a steep slope (d n <
dc ) with a high tailwater such that subcritical
flow or full flow exists in the culvert.
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Energy analysis of culverts and flow

equations

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Flow control equations

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Engineering
considerations
Flood frequency
25yr storm should be routed
100 yr storm should be checked for
flooding of houses or commercial
buildings

Velocity limitations
1m/s
4.5m/s

Buoyance protection (geotech)

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Site criteria
Length and slope
Debris and siltation control
Culvert barrel bends

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Design limitations
Headwater limitations
Tailwater conditions
Storage temporary or permanent

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Other design options

Culvert inlets
Inlets with headwalls
Wingwalls and aprons
Improved inlets
Material selection
Culvert skews
Culvert sizes and shapes
Twin pipes separation (vertical and horizontal
Culvert clearances
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Other design
considerations

Weep holes
Outlet protection
Erosion and sedimentation control
Environmental considerations

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Q=CIA

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Identifying the catchment

(The A)

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The
C

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Using the intensity duration curve

to find the I

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Appreciating the site

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Hydraulic performance -culvert

control

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Velocities
Minimum
Maximum

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Culvert grade
A proper culvert grade is needed for safe functioning

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Culvert grade
produces neither silting nor excessive velocities and scour
gives shortest length
for easy replacement

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Approaches
For unsubmerged inlet control,
- for culvert on steep slope, use critical flow
condition to determine the discharge
- for culvert on mild slope, use weir equation to
compute flow
For submerged inlet control, use orifice flow
equation to compute discharge
For outlet control, perform energy balance
between inlet and outlet
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Orifice Flow
Inlet control with submerged inlet,

Cd = orifice discharge coefficient, an

initial estimate 0.60
b = culvert height
HW-b/2 = average head over the
culvert
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Headwalls
May be used for
Increasing efficiency of the inlet
Providing embankment stability
Protect the embankment against
erosion
Protection from buoyancy
Shortening the length of the required
structure
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Protection
Sour and erosion

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Inlets with
headwalls
Headwalls may be used for a variety of reasons:
Increasing the efficiency of the inlet
Providing embankment stability
Providing embankment protection against
erosion
Providing protection from buoyancy
Shortening the length of the required structure
The relative

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Wingwalls and aprons

Wingwalls are used where the side slopes of the channel
adjacent to the entrance are unstable, or where the culvert is
skewed to the normal channel flow.
Little increase in hydraulic efficiency is realized with the use of
normal wingwalls, regardless of the pipe material used and
therefore, the use should be justified for other reasons.
Wingwalls can be used to increase hydraulic efficiency if
designed as a side-tapered inlet.
If high headwater depths are to be encountered, or the
approach velocity in the channel will cause scour, a short
channel apron should be provided at the toe of the headwall.
This apron should extend at least one pipe diameter upstream
from the entrance, and the top of the apron should not
protrude above the normal streambed elevation.
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Protection

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Protection

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Other protection
Gated box culvert

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Velocities and
sedimentation

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What consideration for

debris?

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Weep holes
Weep holes are openings left in such things
as impermeable walls, revetments, aprons,
linings or foundations to relieve the neutral
stress or pore water pressure and permit
drainage. If weep holes are used to relieve
uplift pressure, they should be designed in
a
manner similar to underdrain systems.
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Alignment

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Alignment

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Alignment

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Roadway Overtopping

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Roadway Topping
Water flows over the road and
through the culvert
Flow over the road broad crested
weir

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Key Approaches
Critical flow does not occur on mild
slopes, except under certain special,
temporary condition [such as inlet
control (3)]
Critical flow always occurs at the
inlet of a steep slope, except when
the inlet is deeply submerged [H/D >
1.2-1.5]
On mild slopes, the flow condition is
most likely its outlet control
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Environmental considerations
In addition to controlling erosion, siltation, and
debris at the culvert site, care must be
exercised in selecting the location of the culvert
site.
Environmental considerations are an important
aspect of the culvert design.
Using good hydraulic engineering, a site should
be selected that will permit the culvert to be
constructed to cause the least impact on the
stream or wetlands.
This selection must consider the entire site,
including any necessary lead channels.
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