Republic of the Philippines

Northwest Samar State University

Rueda St., Calbayog City 6710
Website: http//www.nwssu.edu.ph
Email: main@nwssu.edu.ph
Telefax: (055) 2093657
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

CHRISTINE LEAN M. BALINGATA BSCE-5A

ENGR. MARCIANO APILADO ENGINNERING CONSTRUCTION

OPEN CHANNEL ARE A NATURAL OR MAN-MADE CONVEYANCE FOR WATER IN

WHICH:
 The water surface is exposed to the atmosphere
 The gravity force component in the direction of motion is driving force

THERE ARE VARIOUS TYPES OF OPEN CHANNELS ENCOUNTERED BY THE

DESIGNER OF TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES:
 STREAM CHANNEL
 ROADSIDE CHANNEL OR DITCH
 IRRIGITION CHANNEL
 DRAINAGE DITCH
ILLUSTRATION:

STREAM CHANNELS ARE:

 Usually natural channels with their size and
shape determined by natural force.
 Usually compound in cross section with a
main channel for conveying low flows and a
floodplain to transport flood.
 usually shaped geomorphologic ally by the
long term history of sediment load and
water discharge

ROADSIDE CHANNEL:

 Channel for carrying away rainwater from the road.

IRRIGATION CHANNEL:
 A passage dug in the ground and used for bringing
water to land in order to make plants grow.
 This picture in right side was actual photo in Danao
Irrigation.

Design of Channels
 lined channels – minimizing lining material costs
 unlined channels – maximum permissible velocity and threshold of movement (stable
hydraulic section)

Concrete-lined channel Concrete-lined channel

 Objectives of Channel Design
Transport water between two points in a safe and cost-effective manner. Includes economical,
safety, and esthetics aspects.
Here, mainly hydraulic aspects are considered.
General observations:
 Conveyance of a channel increases with the hydraulic radius (wetted perimeter
deceases). From Manning’s formula.
 The best hydraulic section is a semicircle (for a given area it has the minimum wetted
perimeter).
 For a specific cross section, the proportion that produce the best hydraulic section
(maximum flow) might be derived.
 The best hydraulic section might not be the best from an economical point of view.

Channel Design – General Aspects

1. The minimum permissible velocity is the lowest velocity that will prevent sedimentation and
vegetative growth (crude estimates: 0.6 – 0.9 m/s for sedimentation and 0.75 m/s for
vegetation).
2. The side slopes depend primarily on the engineering properties of the material through which
the channel is excavated.
3. The freeboard refers to the vertical distance between either the top of the channel or the top
of the channel lining and the water surface (design flow at normal depth).

LINED CHANNELS
Use of Lined Channels
Lined channels may be used:
 to permit transmission of water at high velocities through areas of deep or
difficult excavation
 to permit transmission of water at a reduced construction cost
 to decrease channel seepage
 to reduce operation and maintenance costS
 to ensure stability of the channel section
Design Procedure for Lined Channels:
Minimize the cost of the lining material. Identical to find best hydraulic
section, if uniform thickness of the lining material is employed.
Design procedure:
1. Estimate n
2. Compute the value of the section factor
3. For appropriate expression for A and R, compute yN
4. Compute channel properties
5. Check minimum permissible velocity and Froude number
6. Estimate height of lining above surface and freeboard
7. Summarize results with dimensioned sketch
Design of Stable, Unlined, Earthen Channels:
Find a stable cross section
One where neither scour nor deposition constitutes a problem.
Three types of unstable sections:
1. Scouring occur but no deposition
2. Deposition occur but no scouring
3. Both scour and deposition occur
-BALINGATA