Exercise 1

Vertical Drop Weir

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 Weir
• A weir is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the
flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in
the height of the river level.

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 Weir
• Weirs are commonly used to prevent
– Flooding,
– Measure water discharge, and
– Help render rivers more navigable by boat.
• Sometimes, the terms dam and weir are used as synonyms, but there is a
clear distinction made between the structures.
• A dam is usually specifically designed to impound water behind a wall,
whilst a weir is designed to alter the river flow characteristics.
• Weirs can vary in size both horizontally and vertically, with the smallest
being only a few inches in height whilst the largest may be hundreds of
3
metres long and many metres tall.
 Types of Weirs
Weir can be:
• Sharp-Crested or Broad Crested
• Trapezoidal or Triangular
• Contracted or Compound
• Polynomial

• Constructed with Masonry, Rock or Concrete.

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Design Parameters of Vertical Drop Weir

• Hydraulic Calculations
• Weir Wall
• Apron
• Impervious Floor
• Other Protective Works

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 Design Considerations
• Vertical drop weir is such a weir, whose D/S face is given steep
batter. The U/S face is mostly vertical, but it can also be given
batter like D/S face.
• The design of such a weir consists of:
1. Fixing Various Elevations by Hydraulic Computations
2. Design of Weir Wall
3. Design of Impervious Floor of the Weir Wall
4. Design of Inverted Filter
5. Design of Launching Apron or Talus at D/S End
6. Design of Launching Apron or Talus at U/S End. 6
 Design Considerations
1. Fixing Various Elevations by Hydraulic Computations:
• Before we actually perform any hydraulic calculation, we
must know the following data:
a) Maximum likely flood discharge (Q).
b) Level upto which water reaches during floods (HFL).
c) Full supply level of the canal taking off from the river.
d) Allowable rise in water level due to weir i.e. afflux.
e) Lacey’s silt factor (f).
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 Design Considerations
• Lacey’s silt factor for the soil, through which canal and river
are running, is found out by formula , where
is the mean particle diameter of silt in millimetres. Value varies
from 0.5 to as much as 1.5. Its value is less for finer silt and
more for coarser silt or sand.

(i) Length of the water way, or in other words length of the

weir (L) is found out from Lacey’s following regime
formula: .
Where, L = Length of the weir in metres, and
Q = Discharge in cumecs. 8
 Design Considerations
(ii) Find out the discharge per metre length (q) of the weir from relation

(iii) Find out the scour depth by Lacey’s following formula –

/

(iv) Regime velocity (V) is found out as follows –

(v) Find out velocity head 2 .

Using velocity head, Total Energy Line (TEL) can be obtained.
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 Design Considerations
(vi) Level of D/S TEL = D/S HFL before weir construction + 2 .
(vii) Level of U/S TEL = D/S TEL + Afflux.
(viii) Level of U/S HFL U/S TEL – 2

(ix) Crest level of the weir U/S TEL – k.

Where
/
/

is the height of U/S TEL above the crest of the weir. 10

 Design Considerations
(x) Reservoir level at the back of weir = level of top of gates
= FSL of canal + head loss through regulator.
• Loss of head through regulator may be taken anything between 0.5 m
to 1 m.
• Height of gates = (g) = Level of top of gates – crest level.
(xi) Level of bottom of U/S pile U/S HFL – 1.5 R.
(xii) Level of bottom of D/S pile D/S HFL after retrogation – 2R.

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 Design Considerations
2. Design of Weir Wall:
(i) Top Width:
• Top width of the weir is usually denoted by
and bottom width by .
• Top width should be greater of the three
values given as follows:
𝑑
𝑎=
𝜌

where g is the height of shutter fitted over

the crest of the wall. 12
 Design Considerations
(ii) Bottom Width:
• It is calculated by equating overturning moment ( 0) to the resisting
moments ( 𝑟) taken about the outer third point of the base. There
can be three states of flow:
(a) Water filled upto crest level or upto top of crest of gates if
provided. In this case

Equation , b can be found out.

0 13
 Design Considerations
(b) Water passing over the crest and weir is submerged –
• In this case

equating both, value of b can be found out.

(c) Water is passing over the weir crest but water level on D/L side is
below the crest level –
• This case is a typical case, as in it, there are two variables. Depth of
water above crest on U/S side (d) and depth of water on D/S side
(D), both are variable. 14
 Design Considerations
• For finding a suitable relation between and river
gauging is necessary. According to SVK Pillai –
, where is a constant.
• Maximum value of overturning moment ( ) in this case is

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 Design Considerations
• By equating 0 to resisting moment 𝑟
, value of can be found out

• In all the three stages of flow, U/S face of the weir wall has been
considered as vertical.

(d) The value of b can also be found out by the following formula

where d = Depth of water above crest level.

H = Height of crest of the weir wall above the bed level. 16
 Design Considerations
3. Design of Impervious Floor of the Weir Wall:
• The critical condition for maximum percolation will exist when
water is filled upto top of the crest gates and there is no tail
water level. In this case maximum percolation head is .
• Length of impervious floor (L) according to the Bligh’s theory
is .
• If Khosla’s theory is to be used, length of horizontal impervious
apron is found out by considering safe exist gradient 𝐸 .

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 Design Considerations

• Out of total length of impervious apron which is in case

of Bligh’s theory and in case of Khosla’s theory, some
minimum length has to be provided on D/S side.
• The remaining length of pucca apron is provided below the
weir and U/S of the weir wall.

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 Design Considerations
Mr. Bligh gave following relations for floor lengths. He divided length
of the floor in three length 1, 2 and 3.

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 Design Considerations
4. Design of Inverted Filter:
• An inverted filter is invariably provided in continuation at
the end of D/S end of the impervious apron.
• Its main purpose is to relieve the pressure of seeping water.
• No design calculations are necessary.
• It consists of stone blocks 90 cm to 1 m thick placed over
50 to 75 cm thick layer of graded filter.
• If d2 is the depth of D/S cut-off below the D/S bed, the
length of the filter should be at least 1.5 d2. 21
 Design Considerations
5. Design of Launching Apron or Talus at D/S End:
• Immediately after D/S filter, launching apron of 2.5 d2 length is provided.
• Launching apron is also sometimes called talus.
• When talus is launched or sloped at 3:1 slope its thickness should be 90
cm to 1 m.
• Knowing the launched length i.e. inclined length and thickness, the
volume of stones can be easily calculated.
• Thickness in horizontal position will be slightly more than in inclined
position.
• Launching apron prevents undermining of the weir floors and protects
D/S piles. 22
 Design Considerations
6. Design of Launching Apron or Talus at U/S End:
• Talus is also provided U/ S of the U/S end of the
impervious floor or apron.
• Horizontal length of this talus should be 2d1, where d1 is the
depth of U/S pile.
• In launched position (3:1) its thickness like D/S talus
should be 90 cm to 1 m.

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Design Problem

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 Design Problem
Vertical Drop Weir
Design a vertical drop weir for the following data:
Maximum flood discharge =
HFL before construction =
Minimum water level = d/s bed level =
FSL of canal =
Allowable afflux =
Coefficient of creep =
Permissible exit gradient = 25