Hydraulic Loss Coefficient for Flows through Bridge Openings

Saad Mulahasan1& Thorsten Stoesser2

1
Al-Mustenseryah University, Civil Engineering Department, Baghdad, Iraq
irrigation_2010@yahoo.com
2
Cardiff University, Cardiff School of Engineering, Hydro-environmental Research Centre,
Cardiff, UK, stoesser@cardiff.ac.uk

ABSTRACT
This research focuses on calculation of hydraulic loss coefficients and backwater effects for flows
through bridge openings. Laboratory experiments were carried out in the hydraulic laboratory of
school of engineering at Cardiff University, UK using a recirculating glass-walled flume of 10 m
length and 30 cm width. Uniform flow conditions were investigated using fixed bed slope of
1/2000. Two bridge constrictions were chosen as sidewall abutments (lateral constriction) and
submerged rectangular bridge. Three types of flows were examined such as free flow, orifice flow
and weir flow. The study has provided detailed results of hydraulic loss coefficient for varying
contraction ratio B/W of bridge openings.
Keywords:Loss coefficient; bridge opening; open channel flow.