Practice Problems on Design of

Alluvial Channels
Design an irrigation channel to supply 50 m3/s of water at a slope of 1/5000 with
Kutter's N = 0.025 and m = 0.95, using Kennedy's theory.

Assume initial value of D as 2.4 m

Solution
Let D= 2.4 m
𝐾𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑑𝑦 ′ 𝑠 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑉𝑜 = 0.55 𝑚 𝐷0.64 = 0.55× 0.95× 2.4 0.64
= 0.91 𝑚/𝑠
𝑄 50
𝐴= = = 54.945 𝑚2
𝑉 0.91
𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 0.5: 1 (𝐻: 𝑉)
𝐵+𝑟𝐷 𝐷 =𝐴 𝐴 = 𝐵𝐷 + 0.5 𝐷2
𝑃𝑢𝑡 𝐷 = 2.4 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴 = 54.945, 2.4 𝐵 + 0.5 2.4 2 = 55.05 𝑚
𝐵 = 21.70 𝑚
𝐵 + 2 1 + 𝑟2 D = P
𝐴
Also, 𝑃 = 𝐵 + 𝐷 5 = 21.70 + 2.4 5 = 27.10 m 𝑅 = = 2.03 𝑚
𝑃
1 0.00155
𝑁
+ 23+ 𝑆
𝑉= 0.00155 𝑁 𝑅𝑆 = 45.95 2.03 ∗ 1/5000 𝑉 = 0.93 𝑚/𝑠
1+ 23+ 𝑆
𝑅

The actual Velocity is nearly same as critical velocity , hence assume channel dimension as safe

𝐵 = 21.70𝑚 , 𝐷 = 2.4 𝑚
Design an irrigation channel to supply 50 cumec of water by Lacey's method.
Assuming a silt factor of 1

Assume side slope of 0.5:1 (H: V)

Solution
𝑃 = 4.75 𝑄 = 4.75 ∗ 50 = 33.59 𝑚
5
5/3 (3 )
0.003 𝑓 0.003 1
𝑆= = 1 = 0.000156
𝑄1/6 ( )
50 6
1/3 1/3
𝑄 50
𝑅 = 0.47 = 0.47 = 1.73 𝑚
𝑓 1

𝑉 = 10.8 𝑅2/3 𝑆 1/3 = 10.8 ∗ 1.73 2/3 0.000156 1/3 𝑉 = 0.838 𝑚/𝑠

Also, 𝑃 = 𝐵 + 𝐷 5 = 33.59 (𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑣𝑒)

𝑇ℎ𝑢𝑠 𝐵 = 33.59 − 2.236 𝐷
𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴 = 𝐵𝐷 + 0.5 𝐷2 = 𝑃𝑅 = 33.59 ∗ 1.73 = 58.11 𝑚2
𝑜𝑟 33.59 𝐷 − 2.236 𝐷2 + 0.5 𝐷2 = 58.11
𝑜𝑟 1.736 𝐷2 − 33.59 𝐷 + 58.11 = 0

𝐷 = 1.92 𝑚 𝑜𝑟 17.42 𝑚
The value of D= 17.42 m will give negative value of B and hence not acceptable
𝑫 = 𝟏. 𝟗𝟐 , 𝐵 = 33.59 − 2.236 ∗ 192 = 𝟐𝟗. 𝟑 𝒎
Design a Trapezoidal Channel ( with side slope of 2H: 1V) to convey 14 cumecs
of clear water with a bed slope of 1/9000. The canal bed and banks consist of
coarse sand of 3 mm size ( angle of repose = 31 degree) . Adopt the tractive force
approach
Critical Tractive force 𝝉𝒄
𝑁
White’s Equation, 𝜏𝑐 = 0.801 𝑑 = 0.801 ∗ 3 = 2.44
𝑚2

Permissible Tractive Force is taken as 0.9 of critical Tractive force 𝝉𝒄

𝑁
𝝉𝑶𝑳 = 𝟐. 𝟒𝟒 ∗ 𝟎. 𝟗 = 𝟐. 𝟏𝟗𝟔
𝑚2
𝟏/𝟐
𝑪𝒐𝒔𝟐 ∅ 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝟐 𝜽𝒓 −𝒔𝒊𝒏𝟐 ∅
𝐾= = 0.494
𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝜽𝒓

𝑁
𝝉𝑶𝒔 = 𝝉𝑶𝑳 * K = 0.494* 𝟐. 𝟏𝟗𝟔= 1.085 𝑚2
𝐵
𝐿𝑒𝑡 = 10
𝑦
 𝐵
𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐹𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦 = 10, 𝝉𝑶𝒔 / 𝜌𝑔𝑦𝑆𝑜 = 0.78

𝑦 = 𝝉𝑶𝒔 /0.76 𝜌𝑔𝑆𝑜

𝑦 = 𝟏. 𝟎𝟖𝟓/0.78 ∗ 9810∗1 ∗ 1/9000)= 1.28m

𝐵
𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐹𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑏 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦 = 10, 𝝉𝑶𝒍 / 𝜌𝑔𝑦𝑆𝑜 = 0.99

𝑦 = 2.197/0.99∗ 9810∗1 ∗ 1/9000)= 2.04 m

Adopting the lesser of the two flow depths,

h = 1.28 m. Thus, B = 10 h = 12.8 m
 𝐵+𝑟𝐷 𝐷 =𝐴 𝐵 + 2 1 + 𝑟2 D = P

𝐴 = 𝐵𝑦 + 2 𝑦 2 = 12.8 ∗ 1.28 + 2 ∗ 1.282 = 19.66 𝑚2

𝑃 = 𝐵 + 2𝐷 5 = 12.8 + 1.28 ∗ 0.5 ∗ 5 = 18. 52 𝑚

𝐴 19.66
𝐻𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝐷𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ, 𝑅 = = = 1.062𝑚
𝑃 18.52
1 1
𝑑6 3 ∗10 −3 6
n= 25.6 = = 0.0148
26

1
𝑀𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔′ 𝑠 𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑄 = 𝐴𝑉 = 𝐴 𝑅2/3 𝑆 1/2
𝑛

1 1
Q= 0.0148 ∗ 19.66 ∗ (1.062)2/3 (9000)1/2

𝑄 = 14.58 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

Hence a canal with a bed width of 12.8m and a depth of 1.28 m (without free board) will be able to carry the design
discharge