Jonathan Ho Kim

jkim6383
Case Study 3
[Summary]
- Provided Information
We were given three different major locks located in the Panama Canal: Gatun Lock,
Miraflores Lock, and the Pedro Miguel Lock. The locks have been built for almost 100 years
and we are given a task to research on the locks in the Panama Canal. I have chosen to
research the Gatun Lock. Some general information of the Gatun lock is provided below.
As stated in one of the reference sites provided by BBC.com, all of the locks has as
dimension of 19.5m wide, 2m thick, and height varying from 14m to 25m. All of the locks
are made out of concrete material, which are essential and needed to flow the water in and out
of the locks. Inside the concrete material, there are metal beams which will provide necessary
forces that will not make the concrete to crumble under extreme weather conditions in the
future. In order to fit the ships inside the locks, there are specified dimensions of the ship as
provided in one of the references. The length of the ship can have a maximum length of
385.76m. The width of the ship can have a maximum width of 48.78m and the maximum
draft of the ship can have is up to 15.24m. There are specific times in which the Gatun Lock
is opened for ships to cross: from 06:00 to 15:15, ships will travel to the Atlantic from the
Pacific and from 15:45 to 23:00 ships will travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
The mechanism of the locks are similar to each other. The gates of the locks are
swung opened and closed with a double door (image listed in references). The doors are
opened with a hydraulic system that uses two motors, each having a 25-horsepower capacity,
which is rather slow. The mechanism behind these two motors is that even though one motor
may fail, the other motor is there to actually open the gates of the lock whenever needed. The
two motor system is like a backup for the failures that may occur. The dimension of the gates
are 18m high (averaged from lowest and highest), 2.13m thick, and 19.81m wide. The
material of the Gatun Lock Gates are made out of premium steel. There is also a lifting
mechanism in this lock, in which the Gatun lock consists of a three steps lift, with a
dimension height of 25.9m. The lock chambers are also 33.53m wide and 320m long. The
usage of the lock chambers are to lift up the ships from one step to another by using the
amount of water from the lakes. This lock chamber requires 26,700,000 gallons (101,000m
3
)
amount of water to fill up the lock chamber from the lowest compartment to the upper
compartment. On the side of these lock chambers, there are culverts which decide on the
amount of water that is needed to fill up the lock chambers. When the culverts are opened,
fluid turbulence may occur while filling up the lock chambers.


- Identified Assumptions and Clarifications.
The provided information above are design details that were determined after
thorough research of given locks. However, because detailed official blueprints of the Gatun
Lock cannot be found, there were some assumptions and clarifications that are needed to be
made before actually calculating some of the exterior reactions and forces on the structure.
We have assumed that the dimensions of the Gatun lock is 19.5m wide and 2m thick
with an average height of 19m (estimated average of varying height). The weight of the lock
has been assumed as well from the given chart in one of the references. The weight of the
gate structure of the lock is estimated at 2,550 tons and the weight per lateral area
(height*length) is estimated at 1480kg/m
2
. We will assume for this case study that the
exterior forces and reactions will only be caused by the amount of water that is flowing in
and out of the Panama Canal. We will not consider how the exterior forces will change based
upon the different weather conditions that may occur in these areas. We are also assuming the
type of concrete that has been used on the Gatun lock. The material of the locks were made
out of combination of rocks, stone, and cement, making it very sturdy against different types
of forces. Approximately 5,000,000 cubic yards of rock and 2,046,100 cubic yards of
concrete were used for the locks. For the Gatun locks, high quality material was needed for
the sturdiness and quality of the locks, so the stones were brought from Portobelo.
Because the Gatun lock is currently almost 100 years old and because a new type of
lock in the Panama Canal is being built currently, information and blueprints of the Gatun
lock is lacking at the moment. Several assumptions and clarifications were needed to be made
in order to determine some of the exterior forces and reactions of the entire structure. They
are indeed almost exact parameters listed by some of the references provided.
An important assumption that was made while analyzing the Gatun Locks was that
no ship accidents have occurred on the Gatun locks itself. If we were to include bumping and
crashing of the ships that are passing through the Gatun Locks, several different factors and
variables will come in to play, complicating the analysis and results of the dissection of the
gate itself. Ships would pass through the Panama Canal and be safely passed through the
locks without any troubles. Assumptions included in the analysis would be natural forces
from the fluid forces and a newly researched forces from the plate tectonics.
[Analysis]
- Design Steps and Issues
Sufficient information is not listed out in the research that I have done for the Gatun
Locks because of the establishment of a new Panama Canal Lock. Due to this reason, many
of the information, such as weight, concrete material, etc. have been assumed by using the
information of the new Panama Canal Lock. However, this assumption is rather reasonable
because the new Panama Canal Locks design is based upon some of the locks that were
created a few years ago.
Compared to the first case study, more research was able to be conducted on the
Gatun lock because of the amount of material that was learned during the time period
between the first case study and the second case study. Because of the different key words
that were used, dissection of the Gatun locks have become easier than before. However, there
are some cases where numbers and calculations have to be assumed in order to grasp the idea
of the functionality of the Gatun Lock and what kind of different mechanics and forces are
applied upon the Gatun Lock itself.
- Exterior Forces and Reactions
The forces that are acted upon the Gatun Lock comes from the motor, gravity, and
the water itself. These three factors are the most important factors for the Gatun Lock because
if these factors are unable to withstand the forces of stress and shear, we may be able to see
the Lock to fail in the long run.
From these three factors, fluid force from the water is important because it is the
main forces that will lead the ship from the Atlantic Ocean to the Canal through the lock
chambers. Because we have assumed that the locks will not be facing extreme weather
conditions, the ocean will not have crazy high tides, mostly shallow tides. The force from the
culvert is actually important as well because from these 14 culverts that are placed on the
concrete wall of the lock chamber. If we assume that 26,700,000 gallons of water can be
filled up at approximately eight minutes, we can calculate the speed of water that flows out of
the culverts and the forces that may exert on the concrete wall of the lock chambers.
Assuming that each culvert is wide open with a diameter of 6.71m, the length of the
culvert to be at 14m, we can calculate the amount of volume that each of the 14 culverts can
flow through each second. Because a culvert is a circular cylinder, the volume of each of the
culvert will equal to pi*r
2
*h, which is equal to 495.066m
3
. From here, a total of 14 culverts, a
total of 6,930.92m
3
will flow out at the assumed same speed. Because the amount of water
filled equals to eight minutes, the speed of the water filled will equal to 12625m
3
/min. From
here if we were to divide this each culvert, then we would have a speed of 901.786m
3
/min for
each of the water flowing out of the culvert for each minutes. The calculations may be very
inaccurate because a lot of factors were being considered and assumed.
For the Gatun Lock gates, we were able to see forces that are acting upon it as well.
When the door is locked, we can see that forces from the water will cause a shear force on the
door itself. Water is pushing from both directions and that because there is a small opening in
the middle of the two doors, a shear stress may occur at the same time. However, because of
the motor that is keeping the gate locks shut, it will be probably impossible for us to see that
shear stress making the door to open by itself. Adding on with the motor that is involved in
the door, we can assume that the opening of the door will cause a torque force to occur. If we
were to assume that the force of the motor applied on the door is 2000N, and because we can
state that the width of the Gatun Lock gates is the radius of the torque movement, we can
calculate by stating Torque equals Force times Distance. Distance in this case is calculated by
multiplying the radius of the movement with the degree of rotation. We would assume that
the degree of rotation is at 80 degrees. By inputting these numbers to that equation, we can
see that the Torque becomes approximately 39018 N*m.
- Deformation and Deflection + Direct/Bending Shear
After extensive research on the Gatun Lock on the Panama Canal, there were
properties where deformation are occurring on the locks due to natural forces from the active
tectonics of the Panama Canal. Because the Nazca Plates are moving around 15 meters per
year, these faults rub on each other, causing a deformation to occur on the Gatun Locks.
Based upon lab reports conducted on a simulation of a similar environmental experiment of
the Gatun Locks, the peak shear strength of the stone material used in the Gatun Lock has a
peak shear strength of internal friction of 47 degrees, and an effective cohesion of 200kPa.
This amount of shear strength will have a possible deformation occurrence of less than 5mm
on the locks itself. Based upon these lab research on the direct shear tests carried out on the
stones, we will be able to state that deformation may occur, however the movements are
minimal comparatively. These tests were conducted in order to make up for some of the
malfunctions that have occurred on the Panama Canal and to recreate on the new locks that is
going to be built on the Panama Canal.
We can also see deformation and deflections occurring on the Gatun Lock gates itself.
Because of the amount of water that is hitting on the wall constantly on a daily basis, we are
able to see deformation on the Gatun Lock gates. No information were able to be found on
the material based upon deformation, so we have assumed that over the past 100 years, a
deformation curvature has occurred on the Lock gates with a 5 degree curvature. Because this
is a metal gate, we are unable to see deflection occurring on the gates, making it only possible
for deformation. But with a 5 degree curvature, this would mean that the gates have been
sturdy enough to withstand the fluid forces from the ocean. This assumption of the
deformation is caused by a symmetric deformation. The diagram below shows the bending of
the gate locks because of the deformation. Depending on the cross sectional area that is used
on the lock gates, the deformation degree might change.

- Mohrs Circle Application on Culvert
Mohrs Circle can be applied onto the Gatun Locks, based upon the water flowing in and out
of the Lock from the Gatun River. As stated above, there are 14 culverts in total and these can
be considered as cylindrical vessels when water is not flowing through the culverts. The
image below indicates the size and shape of the culverts that are used in the locks. Mohrs
Circle is just a new concept that allows us to look an object in a different perspective in order
to calculate for stress and strain. Because there was no information given on the vessel of the
culvert when closed, we have assumed some of the numbers in order to calculate the state of
stress of the culverts when closed based on an ideal situation. Calculations through Mohrs
Circle are calculated below. (Ideal numbers and conditions are used, so it will be unlikely that
these values would match with those of the culverts).

x
=-34ksi
y
=0ksi
xy
=-12ksi

avg
=
340
2
=-17ksi
R=(34 12)
2
+ (12)
2
=25.06 ksi

1
=25.06-12=13.06ksi

2
=-12-25.06=37.06ksi
Orientation of Element
2
p2
=tan
-1
12
346

p2
=133.7
0

The calculated portion above is the plane stress of the culverts using the Mohrs Circle. We
are also capable of calculating the plane strain of the cylindrical vessel of the culvert using
the Mohrs Circle with some of the numbers that are assumed and in ideal conditions.

x
=250
y
=-200
xy
=150

avg
=
250+(200)
2
=25
R=[(250 25)
2
+ (75)
2
]=237.17

1
=(25+237.17)=262.17

2
=(25-237.17)=212.17





The images below are the images of the culverts and the Mohrs Circle application.






[Conclusions/Recommendations]
The Panama Canal, with the three locks of Gatun, Miraflores, and the Pedro Miguel
is an important connection from the two oceans of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
With 100 years of history, the locks have been sturdy and have withstand some of the weather
conditions that have been faced in that area. More research and data collection may have been
possible, however, because of the new Panama Canal Lock project that is in procedure, we
are unable to find exact blueprints and measurements conducted on the Gatun Locks.
However, because the locks were designed to act in a similar fashion, we were able to assume
some of the design and measurements of the new Panama Canal onto the Gatun locks, giving
us sufficient information to conduct an analysis. With more research, we would be able to
discover the background of the Gatun Locks and exact measurements of the forces that are
acting on this Lock.
From the information that was researched and collected, we could see that different
types of stresses and forces have been acted upon on the Gatun Locks for several years. For
this study, we have looked upon some of the deformation, deflection, and the bending stresses
that have occurred on the Gatun Locks itself. Even though there were natural forces of the
ocean water and the plate tectonics below the Gatun Locks, we were able to see minimal
changes and deformation on the Gatun Locks, suggesting to us that the lock has been well
built and designed that was able to withstand the different forces for 100 years. However,
with new technology being researched and created, we would suggest using a newer material
to replace the 100 year old material in order to last a longer time for the Panama Canal.
A suggestion to the design to the Panama Canal is to increase the size of the canal so
that it would increase efficiency for the ships and boats that are crossing from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and vice versa. Increasing the size of the canal would decrease
the amount of crashes and bumps that boats would have on the walls of the Panama Canal.
Even though these walls are concrete and are made to withstand the forces from the bumps of
the boats, for several years, it would cause some major damages. By increasing the width, it
would decrease the chances of the boats hitting the wall while flowing through the Panama
Canal, decreasing the amount of repairmen fees in the long run. The downside to increasing
the width of the Panama Canal would be that it would cost a great fortune because it would
mean that the construction of the whole Panama Canal would take place, which would take a
lot of time.

[Citations]
- List of References and Images

Acquired from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatun_Locks, this is a simple image that explains
the Panama Canal and where each of the Locks are located. From here, we can notice that,
even though explained earlier, that the Gatun Locks consists of 3 chambers/3 lifting
mechanisms.









http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/panama_gallery_07.shtml
The BBC site above explains to us the basic information of the Gatun Locks in terms of its
dimensions and how the Gatun Lock is opened and closed. The following image is a
graphically designed two-door for the Gatun Lock gate.

- http://www.pancanal.com/esp/plan/estudios/0268-01.pdf
- https://docs.micanaldepanama.com/plan-
maestro/Study_Plan/Technical_and_Engineering/Locks/Evaluation_of_lock_channel/0123-
02.pdf
- https://docs.micanaldepanama.com/plan-
maestro/Study_Plan/Technical_and_Engineering/Locks/Panama_Canal_concept_design/0136
-01.pdf
- https://docs.micanaldepanama.com/plan-
maestro/Study_Plan/Technical_and_Engineering/Locks/Evaluation_of_lock_channel/0123-
01.pdf
The PDF files above provide a basic background information of the Canals and the new
Panama Canal Plan.
- http://www.pancanal.com/esp/plan/estudios/0252-02.pdf
- http://www.profsurv.com/magazine/article.aspx?i=71206
- http://faculty.washington.edu/tpratt/publications/Pratt_Tectonophysics_03.pdf