Experiment 1: Bed Roughness

Hydraulic Engineering Lab

Hassan Niazi

BSc Civil Engineering, FAST NUCES Lahore, 2016

MSc Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2019
Research Projects: Flood defenses, nature-based solutions,
probabilistic modeling, water-food-energy nexus

Niazi, M.H.K. (Hassan) | Challenge the future 1

Bed Roughness
Action in the Boundary Layer

• Dissipates energy… but to what extent?

• To get an estimate Manning and Chezy formula are used

• Newton’s law of viscosity

Niazi, M.H.K. (Hassan) | Challenge the future 2

Chezy’s Roughness
1769, French, Antoine Chezy

• Analytical approach: derived from fundamentals of fluid mechanics

• Assumption 1: resistive force ∝ 𝑉 2
• Assumption 2: Uniform steady flow

𝑄 = 𝐶𝐴 𝑅𝑆 or V = 𝐶 𝑅𝑆
Where:
• 𝐶: chezy’s roughness co-efficient
• 𝑆: Slope of the energy line
• But for steady uniform flow S
equals the channel bed slope
(𝑆𝑓 = 𝑆0 ).
𝐴
• 𝑅: Hydraulic radius R = .
𝑃
• 𝐴: cross sectional area of channel.

Niazi, M.H.K. (Hassan) | Challenge the future 3

Manning’s Roughness
1889, Irish, Robert Manning

• Empirical approach: curve fitting to data (170

observations)
2 1 2 1
1 1
𝑄= A R S
3 2 or 𝑉= R S
3 2
𝑛 𝑛

• Where:
• 𝑛: Manning’s co-efficient of roughness of
channel.
• 𝑆: Slope of the energy line
• But for steady uniform flow S equals the channel
bed slope (𝑆𝑓 = 𝑆0 ).
𝐴
• 𝑅: Hydraulic radius R = .
𝑃
• 𝐴: cross sectional area of channel.

Niazi, M.H.K. (Hassan) | Challenge the future 4

Procedure

• Set the slope of the 5-meter flume.

• Find out the discharge from the gravimetric tank by

collecting known volume of water.

• With the help of point gauge set on the flume, measure the
depth at five different locations.

• Now, by knowing the value of discharge depth and slope we

can calculate, Manning’s 𝒏, value & Chezy’s 𝑪, value.

Niazi, M.H.K. (Hassan) | Challenge the future 5

Lab Work

• Chezy and manning Coefficients are interchangeable

• Graphs
• 𝑄 vs 𝐶
1 1
𝐶= R 6
• 𝑄 vs 𝑛 𝑛
• 𝑛 vs 𝐶
Slope Average Q A V R N C
Depth (m3/s) (m2) (m/s) (m) (sec/m)1 (M1/2/s)
(yavg) /3

Niazi, M.H.K. (Hassan) | Challenge the future 6