FLOW IN OPEN CHANNELS
DEPENDS UPON THE SLOPE OF
• OPEN CHANNEL – IS USED TO
DEFINE ALL NATURAL STREAMS
AND ARTIFICIAL CANALS HAVING
SURFACES EXPOSED TO THE
PRESSURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
• ALL FORMS OF CLOSED
CONDUITS WHICH FLOW ONLY
PARTIALLY FULL ARE ALSO
CONSIDERED AS OPEN CHANNEL.
• THE FLOW IN OPEN CHANNEL
THE STREAMBED AS WELL AS
THE SLOPE OF THE WATER
SURFACE.
• MAIN TYPES OF OPEN CHANNEL:
• 1. NATURAL STREAMS OR RIVERS
• 2. ARTIFICIAL CANAL OR FLUMES
• 3. SEWERS, TUNNELS AND
PIPELINES NOT FLOWING FULL.
UNIFORM FLOW: TOTAL ENERGY • THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES
OF UNIFORM FLOW IN AN
• THE FIGURE SHOWS AN OPEN OPEN CHANNEL ARE:
CHANNEL FLOWING UNDER
STEADY, CONTINUOUS AND
• A) UNIFORM DEPTH, OR 𝑑1 =
𝑑2 = 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
UNIFORM CONDITIONS. • B) UNIFORM AREA, OR 𝐴1 = 𝐴2
= AREA AT ANY SECTION
• C) UNIFORM VELOCITY, OR
𝑉1 = 𝑉2 = VELOCITY AT ANY
SECTION
• D) EQUAL SLOPES OR ENERGY
GRADIENT, STREAMBED AND
WATER SURFACE, OR
• S = 𝑆𝑜 = 𝑆𝑤𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑆 =
𝐿
IS
ℎ𝑓
THE • OTHER PIPE FORMULAS:
SLOPE OF THE ENERGY GRADIENT, • A. THE CHEZY EQUATION
• 𝑆𝑜 IS THE SLOPE OF THE 𝑉 = 𝐶 𝑅𝑆
STREAMBED
• 𝑆𝑠𝑤 IS THE SLOPE OF THE WATER WHERE: C = COEFFICIENT
SURFACE OR THE HYDRAULIC R = HYDRAULIC RADIUS
GRADIENT
𝐴
=𝑃
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐴 − 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎
𝑃 = 𝑤𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟
𝑆 = 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡
• C - THE COEFFICIENT • 2. MANNING’S C
• ALSO KNOWN AS CHEZY C 1

• METHODS TO SOLVE FOR C: • 𝐶= 𝑛 𝑅6

• 1. KUTTER AND GANGUILLET • 3. BAZIN EQUATION

EQUATION: • 𝐶 = 1+ 87
𝑚
𝑅
0.00155 1

• 𝐶=
23+
1+
𝑛
23+
𝑆
+
𝑛
0.00155
𝑅 𝑆

• WHERE: 𝑛 − 𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡

• B. MANNING’S EQUATION: • C. THE HAZEN-WILLIAMS
EQUATION:
• 𝑉= 𝑛𝑅 𝑆
2 1
1
3 2
• 𝑉 = 1.32 𝐶1 𝑅0.63 𝑆0.54
• AND IN THE FORM OF CHEZY • IN THE ENGLISH SYSTEM:
EQUATION:
1
• 𝑉= 𝑛 𝑅 𝑆
1.486 0.67 0.50

• 𝑉=
𝑅6
𝑛
𝑅𝑆 • THE 2 ARE NEARLY SIMILAR;
• THEREFORE: 𝑛 = 1.32 𝐶1
1.486

• SO: 𝐶1 = 𝑛 1.13
PROBLEMS:
• 1. WHAT UNIFORM FLOW WILL
OCCUR IN A RECTANGULAR PLANED
TIMBER FLUME (𝑛 = 0.010) 1.5𝑚
𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑜𝑓 0.001
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑠 1𝑚?
USE MANNING C AND CHECK BY
THE KUTTER FORMULA.
• 2. DETERMINE THE FLOW
THROUGH A TRAPEZOIDAL
CONCRETE LINED CANAL HAVING
SIDE SLOPE OF 3H TO 4V AND
BOTTOM WIDTH OF 2M IF THE
DEPTH OF FLOW IS 2M. THE
CHANNEL IS LAID ON A SLOPE
OF 3M PER 2 KM. USE 𝑛 = 0.013
• 3. THE SECTION OF A STORM
DRAIN TUNNEL IS SHOWN IN THE
FIGURE. DURING THE HEAVY
STORM, THE WATER SURFACE IS
2.5M ABOVE THE SEMI-CIRCULAR
SECTION. IF 𝑛 = 0.02 AND THE
SLOPE OF THE CHANNEL IS
0.009, CALCULATE THE
DISCHARGE.WE
PRACTICAL EXERCISES:
• 1. AN EARTH-LINED
TRAPEZOIDAL CANAL (𝑛 = 0.020)
HAS A BASE WIDTH OF 3M AND
SS 1H TO 3V. IF THE CANAL IS TO
CARRY 2.80 𝑚3 /𝑠 OF WATER AT
A UNIFORM VELOCITY OF
𝑚
0.60 , WHAT SLOPE IS
𝑠
NECESSARY?
• 2. WATER IS TO FLOW AT THE
RATE OF 25 𝑚3 /𝑠 IN THE
CONCRETE CHANNEL AS SHOWN.
FIND THE REQUIRED VERTICAL
DROP OF THE CHANNEL BOTTOM
PER KILOMETER LENGTH. USE 𝑛 =
0.013.
• 3. WATER FLOWS IN A
TRIANGULAR V-NOTCH STEEL
CHANNEL, WITH VERTEX ANGLE
0 𝑚
OF 60 , AT A VELOCITY OF 1.2 𝑠 .
FIND THE DEPTH OF FLOW IF
THE CHANNEL IS LAID ON A
SLOPE OF 0.0017. USE 𝑛 =
0.014
ALTERNATE STAGES OF FLOW
It was stated that the Specific Energy, Es at any given
channel section is the sum of the pressure head or
depth of flow and the velocity head, or
𝑽𝟐
𝑬𝒔 = +𝒅
𝟐𝒈
And the mean velocity is 𝑽 = 𝟐𝒈 𝑬𝒔 − 𝒅
And for a rectangular channel with rectangular cross-
section, the total flow is
𝑸 = 𝑨𝑽
𝑸 = 𝒃𝒅 𝟐𝒈 𝑬𝒔 − 𝒅
And to determine the discharge per unit width of the
𝑸
channel, = 𝒅 𝟐𝒈 𝑬𝒔 − 𝒅
𝒃
This is sometimes known as the unit flow, q
𝑸
𝒒= 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑸 = 𝒒𝒃
𝒃
𝑨𝑽 𝒃𝒅𝑽
Or 𝒒 = = = 𝒅𝑽 or q = dV
𝒃 𝒃
𝒒 𝒒
And 𝑽 = 𝒐𝒓 𝒅 =
𝒅 𝑽
ALTERNATE STAGES OF FLOW
From the graph, the following important characteristics of
channel flow maybe observed:
a) There is a depth of flow 𝒅𝒄 which maximizes unit flow
q. The depth is called the critical depth or critical stage
of flow.
b) For any value of the unit flow q between 0 and
𝒒𝒎𝒂𝒙 , there are two possible depths of flow
𝒅𝟏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝟐 , occurring with the same specific energy Es.
c) These are the upper stage and lower stage of flow,
respectively. Collectively, these two stages of flow are
known as the alternate stage.
Critical Depth: Critical Slope, Critical Velocity
𝟐 Critical Velocity:
𝒅 = 𝒅𝒄 = 𝑬𝒔
𝟑 𝑽𝒄 = 𝒈𝒅𝒄
𝟑
Or Es = 𝒅𝒄
𝟐
By substitution: Critical Slope: 𝑺𝒄 =
𝒏𝟐 𝑽𝟐
𝟒
𝟐
𝒒 𝑹𝟑
𝒅𝒄 = ∛ 𝒈𝒏𝟐 𝒅𝒄
𝒈 or 𝑺𝒄 = 𝟒ൗ
or 𝒒𝒎𝒂𝒙 = √𝒈𝒅𝒄 𝟑 𝑹 𝟑
Note: these formula are
only for rectangular section
Criterion for the determination of the type of
channel flow
A. If 𝑉 = 𝑔𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
If 𝑉 < 𝑔𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
If 𝑉 > 𝑔𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
B. If 𝑑 = 𝑑𝑐 , 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
If 𝑑 < 𝑑𝑐 , 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
If 𝑑 > 𝑑𝑐 , 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
C. If 𝐹 = 1, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
If 𝐹 < 1, 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
If F> 1, 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
D. If 𝑆 = 𝑆𝑐 , 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
If 𝑆 < 𝑆𝑐 , 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
If 𝑆 > 𝑆𝑐, 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
F, Froude number is defined as the ratio of a body’s inertia
to gravity forces.
It is used to determine the resistance of an object
moving through water, and permit the comparison of
objects of different sizes.
𝑉
𝐹= where: V – is the velocity
√𝑔𝑑
Other terms:
Critical stage – critical stage of flow
Lower stage – Super-critical flow – rapid flow
Upper stage – Subcritical flow – tranquil flow

Critical Depth: Non-rectangular section

(Triangle, trapezoid)
𝑸𝟐 𝑨𝟑
= = 𝒇(𝒅𝒄 )
𝒈 𝑩
where: B –is the width of water surface
PROBLEMS:
1. A channel having a
rectangular section and
base width 3m carries a
𝒎𝟑
flow of 5.70 . Find the
𝒔
critical depth the critical
velocity and the critical
slope if n = 0.011.
2. A triangular flume
having a side slope of 1:1
carries water at a rate of 4
𝒎𝟑
. The bottom of the
𝒔
flume is on a slope of 0.005
with n = 0.013. Determine
the stage of flow.
3. Determine the flow in a
trapezoidal channel having
base width of 4m and side
slope of 1:1 if the critical
depth is 2.5m
PRACTICAL EXERCISES:
1. Water is flowing at a depth of 1.5m in a 3m-wide
rectangular channel having n=0.013 and S =0.0009.
a) What is the stage of flow. b) Determine the critical
depth, and c) determine the critical slope.
2. A flow of 280 lit/s of water is carried in a 𝟗𝟎𝟎 V-notch
flume with n=0.011. Find the critical depth.
3. An isosceles trapezoidal canal with SS 2H to 1V has
𝒎𝟑
bottom width of 3m and carries a flow of 17 . Find
𝒔
the critical depth.