CE154

Design of Culverts
CE154 Hydraulic Design
Lectures 8-9
Fall 2009 1
CE154
Culverts
Definition - A structure used to convey
surface runoff through embankments.
It may be a round pipe, rectangular box,
arch, ellipse, bottomless, or other
shapes.
And it may be made of concrete, steel,
corrugated metal, polyethylene,
fiberglass, or other materials.
Fall 2009 2
Fall 2009 CE154 3
Culverts
End
treatment
includes
projected,
flared, &
head and
wing walls
CE154

Fall 2009 4
CE154
Concrete Box Culvert

Fall 2009 5
CE154
Box culvert with fish passage

Fall 2009 6
CE154
Corrugated metal horseshoe culvert

Fall 2009 7
CE154
Bottomless culvert USF&W

Fall 2009 8
CE154
Some culvert, huh?

Fall 2009 9
CE154
Culvert or Bridge?

Fall 2009 10
CE154
Study materials
Design of Small Dams (DSD) pp. 421
429 (culvert spillway), 582-589
(hydraulic calculation charts)
US Army Drainage Manual (ADM),TM
5-820-4/AFM 88-5, Chapter 4,
Appendix B - Hydraulic Design Data
for Culverts
Fall 2009 11
CE154
Study Objectives
Recognize different culvert flow
conditions
Learn the steps to analyze culvert
hydraulics
Learn to design culverts
Fall 2009 12
Fall 2009 CE154 13
Definition Sketch
CE154
Definition Sketch

Fall 2009 14
CE154
Relevant technical terms
Critical depth
The depth at which the specific energy
(y+v
2
/2g) of a given flow rate is at a
minimum
Soffit or crown
The inside top of the culvert
Invert & thalweg
Channel bottom & lowest point of the
channel bottom
Headwater
The water body at the inlet of a culvert
Fall 2009 15
CE154
Relevant technical terms
Tailwater
The water body at the outlet of a
culvert
Submerged outlet
An outlet is submerged when the
tailwater level is higher than the culvert
soffit.


Fall 2009 16
CE154
Relevant technical terms
Inlet control
Occurs when the culvert barrel can convey
more flow than the inlet will accept. The
flow is only affected by headwater level,
inlet area, inlet edge configuration, and
inlet shape. Factors such as roughness of
the culvert barrel, length of the culvert,
slope and tailwater level have no effect on
the flow when a culvert is under inlet
control.
Fall 2009 17
CE154
Relevant technical terms
Outlet control
Occurs when the culvert barrel can not
convey more flow than the inlet can
accept. The flow is a function of the
headwater elevation, inlet area, inlet
edge configuration, inlet shape, barrel
roughness, barrel shape and area, slope,
and tailwater level.
Fall 2009 18
CE154
Relevant technical terms
Normal depth
Occurs in a channel reach when the
flow, velocity and depth stay constant.
Under normal flow condition, the
channel slope, water surface slope and
energy slope are parallel.
Steep slope
Occurs when the normal depth is less
than the critical depth. The flow is
called supercritical flow.
Fall 2009 19
CE154
Relevant technical terms
Mild slope
Occurs when the normal depth is higher
than the critical depth. The flow is
called subcritical flow.
Submerged inlet
An inlet is submerged when the
headwater level is higher than
approximately 1.2 times the culvert
height D. (Why is it not simply higher
than 1.0 times D?)
Fall 2009 20
CE154
Relevant Technical Terms
Freeboard
Safety margin over design water level
before overflow occurs (in a unit of
length)
Free outlet
An outlet condition at which the
tailwater level is below the critical
depth, whence further lowering of the
tailwater will not affect the culvert
flow

Fall 2009 21
CE154
Design Setting
a river
a plan to build a road crossing
need to design the road crossing
- given river slope, geometry, & design
flood
- given desirable roadway elevation
- design culvert (unknown size) to pass
Design Flood with suitable freeboard
(design criteria)

Fall 2009 22
CE154
Analysis Setting
An existing culvert or bridge (known
size)
a river passing underneath
determine water level under certain
flood condition or vice versa
Fall 2009 23
CE154
Inlet control (1)

Fall 2009 24
CE154
Inlet control (2)

Fall 2009 25
>
CE154
Inlet control (3) sharp edge inlet

Fall 2009 26
CE154
Outlet control (1)

Fall 2009 27
CE154
Outlet control (2)

Fall 2009 28
CE154
Outlet control (3)

Fall 2009 29
CE154
Outlet control (4)

Fall 2009 30
CE154
Intermittent control

Fall 2009 31
CE154
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, most likely its outlet
control


Fall 2009 32
CE154
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
Fall 2009 33
CE154
Critical Flow Condition
y
c
= (q
2
/g)
1/3
Fr = v
c
/(gy
c
)
1/2
= 1
v
c
= (gy
c
)
1/2
E
c
= y
c
+ v
c
2
/2g = 3/2 y
c

q = unit discharge = Q/width (for non-circular
conduit; for circular pipe use table to find critical
condition)
Fr = Froude number
E = specific energy
y = depth
c = subscript denotes critical flow condition

Fall 2009 34
Fall 2009 CE154 35
Weir Flow
Weir flow equation


B = culvert width
Cw = weir discharge coefficient, an
initial estimate may be 3.0
note that this eq. is similar to equations
for ogee crest weir, broadcrested weir,
sharp crest weir
Fall 2009 CE154 36
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

CE154
Outlet control hydraulics
Energy balance between inlet and outlet

t coef f icien loss f riction
to f rom typically t coef f icien loss exit
elevation tailwater TW
ADM B DSD p on coef loss entrance
g
TW LSo H
k
k
k
V
k k k
f
ex
en
f ex en

0 . 1 1 . 0
12 & 426 . .
2
) (
2
Fall 2009 37
CE154
Outlet control hydraulics
Entrance loss coefficient on p.B-12 of
ADM and p. 426 & 454 of Design of Small
Dam
Exit loss coefficient: as a function of area
change from the culvert (a
1
) to
downstream channel (a
2
)
Kex = (1- a
1
/a
2
)
2

= 1 for outlet into reservoir

Friction loss coefficient may be computed
using Darcy-Weisbach or Manning equation

Fall 2009 38
CE154
Outlet control hydraulics
Darcy-Weisbach equation for circular
pipes

friction head loss h
f
= f L/D V
2
/2g

or for non-circular channels, using
hydraulic radius R=A/P=D/4 to replace D:

h
f
= f L/(4R) V
2
/2g

k
f
= f L/(4R)
Fall 2009 39
CE154
Outlet control hydraulics
Mannings equation to compute friction
loss

v = (1.49 R
2/3
S
1/2
) / n

S = v
2
n
2
/ (2.22 R
4/3
)

h
f
= SL = v
2
/2g (29.1 n
2
L/R
4/3
)

k
f
= 29.1 n
2
L/R
4/3
- see Eq. on p. B-1
Fall 2009 40
CE154
Design Procedure
1. Establish design criteria - Q, HW
max
, and
other design data L, S, TW, etc.
2. Determine trial size (e.g., A=Q/10)
3. Assume inlet control, compute HW
-unsubmerged, weir flow eq.
-submerged, orifice flow eq.
4. Assume outlet control, compute HW
5. Compare results of 3 & 4. The higher HW
governs.
6. Try a different size until the design criteria
are met
Fall 2009 41
CE154
Example (1)
A circular corrugated metal pipe culvert,
10 in diameter, 50 long, square edge with
headwall, on slope of 0.02, Mannings
n=0.024, is to convey flood flow of 725
cfs. Tailwater is at the center of the
culvert outlet. Determine the culvert flow
condition.
Assuming first if the slope is steep, inlet
control. If mild, outlet control.
Determine if the slope is steep or mild by
comparing normal and critical flow depth,
e.g. tables from Design of Small Dams
(DSD)
Fall 2009 42
CE154

Fall 2009 43
CE154

Fall 2009 44
CE154
Example (1)
Q = 725, n = 0.024, D = 10 ft, S = 0.02
Qn/(D
8/3
S
1/2
) = 0.265
Table B-3, it corresponds to d/D = 0.541, or the
normal depth d
n
= 5.41 ft
Q/D
2.5
= 2.293
From Table B-2, find d/D = 0.648, or the critical
depth d
c
= 6.48 ft
d
c
> d
n
, so the 0.02 slope is steep inlet control
Critical flow occurring at the culvert entrance
Use Figure 9-68 (or Figure B-8 of DSD p.585) for
circular culverts on steep slope to determine
headwater depth
Fall 2009 45
CE154
Example (1)

Fall 2009 46
CE154
Example (1)
For Q/D
2.5
= 2.293, and square edge
inlet, Curve A on figure 9-68 shows
H/D = 1.0
The headwater is at the culvert soffit
level, and it drops to 6.48 ft at the inlet
and continues to drop to 5.41 ft to flow
through the culvert, before dropping to
5 ft at the outlet.
Fall 2009 47
CE154 Fall 2009 48
CE154
Example (2)
Concrete pipe (n=0.015) culvert 10 ft in
diameter, 0.02 slope, square edge, vertical
headwall, Q = 1550 cfs, tailwater at pipe
center at outlet. Determine the culvert
flow condition.
Q/D
2.5
= 1550/(10)^2.5 = 4.90
Qn/(D
8/3
S
1/2
) = 0.35
dn determined from Table B-3, d/D=0.65
dc determined from Table B-2, d/D = 0.913

Fall 2009 49
CE154
Example (2)
The culvert will run open-channel, same
as in Example (1) and the water level
drops to the pipe center level at the
outlet.
To compute headwater level, Figure 9-
68 shows that H/D = 2.15
The culvert entrance will be submerged,
with water level dropping to dc = 9.13 ft
at the inlet and continues dropping to dn
= 6.5 ft for the bulk length of the pipe.
Fall 2009 50
CE154
Example (3)
Same condition as in Example (1), with
corrugated pipe 10 ft diameter, S=0.02,
L=300 ft, tailwater level at pipe center,
Q=2000 cfs. Determine flow condition.
Q/D
2.5
= 2000/(10)^2.5 = 6.32
Qn/(D
8/3
S
1/2
) = 2000*0.024/(65.4) = 0.73
Critical depth at 9.65 ft, practically full
flow
Normal depth shows full flow since data
is out of range of table outlet control
Fall 2009 51
CE154
Example (3)
Calculate entrance loss coefficient
square edge flush with vertical headwall
(p.426) Ken = 0.5
Calculate exit loss coefficient
tailwater at pipe centerline, outlet
channel is not supported, full exit
velocity head is lost
Kex = 1.0

Fall 2009 52
CE154
Example (3)
Calculate friction loss coefficient
R = A/P = D/4 = 2.5
n = 0.024
K
f
= 29.1 n
2
L / R
4/3
= 1.48
Eq. (32) on p. 425 shows that
H/D + L/D S
o
0.5 = 0.0252(k
ex
+ k
en
+ k
f
)(Q/D
5/2
)
2

H/10 + 30*0.02 0.5 = 0.0252 (1+0.5+1.48)(6.32)
2
H = 29 ft
Check using Figure B-10 of Design of Small Dams or
Figure B-13 of Reader graphical solution shows
H=32
Fall 2009 53
CE154

Fall 2009 54
CE154
Example (4)
Design a culvert for the following
condition:
- Design Flow Q = 800 cfs
- culvert length L = 100 ft
- Allowable headwater depth HW = 15 ft
- Concrete pipe culvert
- Slope S = 0.01 (1.0%)
- Tailwater level (TW) at 0.8D above
invert at outlet
Fall 2009 55
CE154
Example (4)
1. Select a trial culvert pipe size
Assuming culvert flow velocity V = 10 fps
A = Q/V
= 800/10
= 80 ft
2


D = sqrt(804/)
= 10.1 ft

Say D = 10 ft
Fall 2009 56
CE154
Example (4)
2. Assuming inlet control:
- using rounded inlet to reduce headloss
- Q/D
5/2
= 2.53
- From Figure 9-68 of DSD, H/D = 1
This is a conservative design. Reasonably
H/D could be designed as high as 1.2 to
maintain un-submerged inlet condition.
Check by using Figure B-7 of DSD. The
rounded inlet is similar to groove inlet (see
Table B-1 of ADM)
Fall 2009 57
CE154
Example (4)
3. Assuming outlet control:
- First determine the outlet flow
condition. From Table B-2 of DSD, at
Q=800 cfs, Q/D
5/2
=2.53, the critical
depth d
c
=0.682D. Hence, TW=0.8D is
above the critical level.
The normal flow is determined from Table
B-3 of DSD. Use n=0.018 for aged
concrete. Qn/D
8/3
S
1/2
=0.31
d
n
=0.6D
The normal flow depth is 6.0 ft in the
culvert
Fall 2009 58
CE154
Example (4)
The normal flow condition is:
- from Table B-3 again, A/D
2
= 0.492
- A
n
= 49.2 ft
2

- V
n
= Q/A
n
= 16.3 fps
- R = hydraulic radius = 0.278D = 2.78 ft
- Fr = Froude number = V/(gR)
1/2
= 1.7
- This shows that flow is supercritical in
the culvert. It transitions to the tailwater
depth at the outlet (S3 or jump). TW flow
may be supercritical or subcritical,
depending on the downstream slope.
Fall 2009 59
CE154
Example (4)
To compute the headloss of the outlet-
control condition:
HW + S
o
L = H
L
+ TW
H
L
= (K
en
+ K
ex
+ K
f
)V
2
/2g
K
en
= 0.2 for rounded edge with
headwall
K
ex
= 1.0 being conservative since not
all the velocity head is lost (draw profile)
K
f
= 29n
2
L/R
1.333

= 0.24
Fall 2009 60
CE154
Example (4)
H
L
= (1 + 0.24 + 0.2) V
2
/2g
= 1.44 (16.3)
2
/64.4
= 5.94 ft
The energy balance equation becomes
HW = H
L
+ TW S
o
L
= 5.94 + 8 0.01100
= 12.94
HW/D = 12.94/10 = 1.3
4. Compare the headwater depth for inlet
and outlet conditions, select the higher
value for design.
Fall 2009 61
CE154
Example (4)
The governing headwater depth is 13 ft
5. This is less than the maximum of 15 ft of
the allowable headwater depth. Hence, it
is acceptable.
The culvert size may be reduced slightly
to reduce cost and still meets design
criteria.
Hence, use 10 ft diameter concrete pipe
rounded edge at inlet
maximum headwater depth 13 ft
Fall 2009 62
Culvert failure modes along forest
roads in northern CA
Fall 2009 CE154 63
CE154
Design Considerations
Flared ends improve efficiency
Use culverts as wide as stream width
Use same gradient as stream channel
Use same alignment as stream channel
Single large culvert is better for debris
passage than several small ones
Fall 2009 64