Investigation of the Hydraulic Performance of Culvert Grates

摘要

An experimental investigation of the hydraulic performance of culvert endsectionsis reported. Of particular concern is the effect on performance that the addition of safety gratings may have. The head-discharge characteristics for various model inlet treatments were measured to determine inlet performance. Hydraulic models of various end sections were tested in a recirculating flow facility. Experiments were conducted for both inlet control and outlet control, under both mild and steep slope conditions. The results of these experiments were analyzed and collected in graphical form, mapping the various regimes of culvert operation. Performance comparisons were made for culvert design, gratings and the presence of trash. The results of the investigation indicate that, in general, the addition of a grating has only a modest effect on performance. The associated problem of trash build up, however, can be very detrimental to performance. Particularly in outlet control situations, trash acts to produce additional losses. In the case of inlet control, moderate trash buildup does not act as a loss mechanism but reduces discharge and may change the point of control.