HYDRAULIC

STRUCTURES
 DEFINITION
• Are anything that can be used to divert, restrict, stop, or
otherwise manage the natural flow of water. They can be made
from materials ranging from large rock and concrete to obscure
items such as wooden timbers or tree trunks.
• A structure submerged or partially submerged in any body of
water, which disrupts the natural flow of water. They can be used
to divert, disrupt or completely stop the flow. An example of a
hydraulic structure would be a dam, which slows the normal flow
rate of river in order to power turbines. A hydraulic structure can
be built in rivers, a sea, or any body of water where there is a
need for a change in the natural flow of water.
• Also be used to measure the flow of water. When used to
measure the flow of water, hydraulic structures are defined as a
class of specially shaped, static devices over or through which
water is directed in such a way that under free-flow conditions at
a specified location (point of measurement) a known level to
flow relationship exists.
DIFFERENT HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES

• Dam
• Canals
• Spillways
• Weirs
• Reservoirs
• Drainage
• Fish ladder
• Bridge
• Flume
 DAMS
• Dam is a barrier that impounds water or
underground streams. The reservoirs created by
dams not only suppress floods but provide water for
various needs to include irrigation, human
consumption, industrial use, aquaculture and
navigability. A dam can also be used to collect
water or for storage of water which can be evenly
distributed between locations. Dams generally
serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while
other structures such as floodgates or levees (also
known as dikes) are used to manage or prevent
water flow into specific land regions.
 KINDS OF DAMS

• Arch Dam- stability is obtained by

combination of arch and
gravity action.

• Gravity Dam- the force that

holds the dam in place
against the push from the
water is Earth's gravity
pulling down on the mass of
the dam.
 KINDS

• Arch-gravity dams- combined

with an arch dam into
an arch-gravity dam for
areas with massive amounts
of water flow but less material
available for a purely gravity dam.

• Barrages- is a special kind

of dam which consists of
a line of large gates that
can be opened or closed
to control the amount of
water passing the dam.
 KINDS

• Embankment Dam- are made

from compacted earth, and
have two main types,
rock-fill and earth-fill dams.

• Rock-fill Dam-are embankments

of compacted free-draining
granular earth with an
impervious zone.
 KINDS

• Earth-fill Dam-are constructed as a simple

embankment of well compacted earth.
 CANALS
• Canals - a human made channel of water.

TYPES:

A. Waterways- canals and navigations used for

carrying vessels transporting goods and people.

B. Aqueducts- canals that are used for the

conveyance and delivery of potable water for
human consumption, municipal uses, hydro power
canals and agriculture irrigation.
CANALS
 SPILLWAYS
Spillway is a structure used to provide the
controlled release of flows from a dam or
levee into a downstream area.
 TYPES OF SPILLWAY

• Chute spillways- are common

and basic in design as they
transfer excess water from
behind the dam down a smooth
decline into the river below.

• Siphons- makes use of the difference in the height

between the intake and the outlet to create a
pressure difference needed to remove excess
water.
 WEIRS

• Weir is a barrier across a river designed to alter its

flow characteristics. Allow hydrologists and
engineers a simple method of measuring the
volumetric flow rate in small to medium-sized
streams or in industrial discharge locations.
 TYPES OF WEIR

• Labyrinth weir -uses a trapezoidal-shaped weir wall

geometry (plan view) to increase the weir length.
They are versatile structures and can be modified to
fit many applications.
 TYPES OF WEIR

• Broad-crested weir is a flat-crested structure, with a

long crest compared to the flow thickness.

• Sharp-crested weir- allows the water to fall cleanly

away from the weir.

• V-notch weir is a triangular channel

section, used to measure
small discharge values.
 COMMON CAUSES OF FAILURE OF
WEIRS INCLUDE:

• Excessive and progressive downstream erosion,

both from within the stream and through lateral
erosion of the banks
• Erosion of inadequately protected abutments
• Hydraulic removal of fines and other support
material from downstream protection (gabions and
aprons) resulting in erosion of the apron protection
• Deterioration of the cut-off and subsequent loss of
containment
• Additional aspects specific to concrete, rock fill or
steel structures.
 RESERVOIR
• Reservoir is a natural or artificial
lake, storage pond,
or impoundment from a
dam which is used to store
water.

TYPE:
Service reservoirs- store fully treated potable water close
to the point of distribution.
 DRAINAGE
• Drainage- is the natural or artificial
removal of surface and sub-
surface water from an area. Many
agricultural soils need drainage to
improve production or to manage
water supplies.
 FISH LADDER
• Fish Ladder- also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish
steps, is a structure on or around artificial and
natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls)
to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration.
 TYPES OF FISH LADDER:

• Pool -is one of the oldest styles of fish

ladders. It uses a series of small dams and
pools of regular length to create a long,
sloping channel for fish to travel around the
obstruction.
• Baffle fishway -uses a series of symmetrical
close-spaced baffles in a channel to redirect
the flow of water, allowing fish to swim
around the barrier.
• Fish elevator or fish lift, as its name implies,
breaks with the ladder design by providing a
sort of elevator to carry fish over a barrier. It
is well suited to tall barriers.
• Rock-ramp fishway uses large rocks and
timbers to create pools and small falls that
mimic natural structures.
• Vertical-slot fish passage is similar to a pool-
and-weir system, except that each "dam"
has a narrow slot in it near the channel wall.
 BRIDGE
• Bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles
such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the
purpose of providing passage over the obstacle.
 FLUME
• Flume is a man-
made channel for water.
In the form of an open
declined gravity
chute whose walls are
raised above the
surrounding terrain, in
contrast to
a trench or ditch. Flumes
lead water from
a diversion dam or weir to
their desired location.
 ADVANTAGES

• For the same control width, the head loss for a flume is
about one-fourth of that needed to operate a sharp-
crested weir
• The velocity of approach is part of the calibration
equations for flumes
• Unauthorized altering of the dimensions of constructed
flumes is difficult (and therefore unlikely)
• Most flume styles readily allow for the passage of
sedimentation and floating debris – reducing the time
and effort associated with maintaining a flume
installation
 TYPES OF FLUME:

• Millrace- a diversionary flume is used to transfer water from one

body to another, such as between two reservoirs.
• Log flumes -use the flow of water to carry cut logs and timber
downhill, sometimes many miles, to either a sawmill or location
for further transport.
• Flow measurement flume
• Navigable Canal Flume- a bypass flume diverted water around
a lift lock from the level (or pound) above to the level below the
lock, so that the level below would have sufficient water.
• Recreational flumes-In competitive swimming, specialized
flumes with transparent sides are often employed by coaches to
analyze a swimmer's technique. The speed of the flow is
variable to accommodate the full spectrum of swimming styles
and ability.