The goal of the present study was to determine the efficiency of a specific culvert geometry, labeled as Index 216 Closed Flume Inlet (CFI) in the FDOTs Design Standards, and to determine if geometric changes affect the efficiency of the current design. The experimental study was initiated by testing the impact of various changes to the Index 216 CFI geometry to determine the optimum configuration with respect to hydraulic operation. The 4-ft unconstricted geometry was found to be optimal CFI configuration. Subsequently, extensive series of tests were carried out to estimate the hydraulic performance of this geometry for a wide range of settings and flow conditions. Final empirical relationships to predict the CFI intercepted flow have been developed using analysis and visualization. While there are no references to compare the results obtained in the present study, the hydraulic performance of the tested drainage structures is aligned with the analytical inferences. Moreover, the trends of the results obtained herein are in agreement with results of previous studies conducted on similar drainage structure geometry. Overall, it can be concluded that: (1) increased cross- slopes convey more stormwater through the drainage structure for the same longitudinal slope and (2) decreased longitudinal slopes convey more flow through the drainage for the same cross-slope. The efficiency of the drainage structures for larger cross-slope is modest while a sharp decrease occurs for larger longitudinal slopes. The assessment of the CFI hydraulic performance also includes the estimation of the self-cleaning velocity. It is observed that the self-cleaning velocity is exceeded for all tested situations.
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