CULVERTS

BALAGAT, KIMBERLY
CABUNDOCAN, CLARENCE
MENDOZA, LORENZ
PRIVADO, PHEBE
VILLAR, MEDENIO NICOLAS
Culverts
 Culverts are a relatively short length of pipe or closed conduit used
to convey stormwater through an embankment or road,
connected at each end to an open channel.
 Minimum Sizing
For culverts crossing under local roads, a minimum internal
width and clear depth of 910 mm is required.
For culverts crossing under expressways, a minimum internal
width and clear depth of 1 m is required.
 Minimum Velocity
In order to encourage self-cleaning, and minimize sediment build up,
culverts should be designed to ensure a minimum flow velocity of 0.8
m/s at pipe full.
 Maximum Velocity
The maximum velocity to be adopted for culverts is 5 m/s.
 Flow Conditions
Flow behavior through culverts varies depending on whether the inlet
and outlet are submerged. Computer design programs will
automatically adjust the culvert flow conditions based on the
upstream and downstream water levels.
 Cover
The cover for a culvert depends on the concrete/ loading class. In
general, a minimum cover of 600 mm should typically be adopted. A
cover depth of 300 mm may be adopted on private property or under
open space that experiences only occasional traffic.
 Blockage
Blockage of a culvert is possible through debris as well as siltation of the
culvert. The effect of potential blockage should be considered in the
design of the capacity of the culvert. While blockage of culverts tends
to be associated with forested catchments, where wooded debris may
mobilize during floods, urban catchments can also represent sources of
debris through mobilization of man-made debris such as cars, garbage
and other objects.
To date, there have been no studies of blockages of culverts within the
Philippines, and in particular the likely blockages for different
catchment types and land-uses. In the absence of historical
observations or studies, blockage factors should be adopted in
determining the discharge capacity. When assessing blockage,
blockage of the handrails should also be considered for overtopping
flow.
 Blockage Factors to be Applied to Culverts

Minimization of blockages can be achieved through implementation of

features such as debris deflector walls
 Inlet and Outlet Structures
Inlet and outlet structures are provided to direct the flow between the
open channel and the culvert.
 Backflow Control Structures
Outlet flow controls include structures such as tidal flaps, flood gates
and duck billed valves. These structures control the backflow of water
from the receiving water body into either the culvert or pipe. They may
be incorporated for a variety of reasons, including:
•To prevent tidal backflow into a culvert or pipe network
•To prevent floodwaters from a river or creek from backwatering
through a pipe network or culvert, particularly under a levee or dike
•To provide water quality controls between two areas
These structures introduce additional head losses. Reference should be
made to the appropriate manufacturer guidelines.
Maintenance of these structures is also critical for their performance.
 Outlet Scour Control
Outlet scour control may be required at outlets to reduce flow
velocities prior to discharging to watercourses in order to reduce the
risk of erosion. Outlet protection may be required where:
•The outlet velocity exceeds the scour velocity of the bed or bank
material
•The outlet channel and banks are actively eroding
•There is a bend in the channel a short distance downstream
 Rock pad outlets or dry boulder outlets are commonly adopted for
culvert outlets. These should generally be considered where outlet
velocities are less than 5 m/s and the Froude number of the flow is
less than 1.7.
 The minimum recommended width of the rock pad is defined as:
•Immediately downstream of the outlet: the width of the outlet apron,
or the width of the outlet plus 0.6 m (if there is no apron).
•At the downstream end of the rock pad: the above width plus 0.4
times the length of the rock pad (L).

If the width of the outlet channel is less than the recommended width
of the rock protection, then rock protection should extend up the
banks to either the height of the pipe’s obvert or to the design
tailwater level.
 Orientation of Outlet
Where practical, storm water outlets should be recessed into the banks
of any watercourse that is likely to experience bank erosion, channel
expansion, or channel migration. Typically the minimum desirable
setback is the greater of:
•3 times the bank height from the toe of the bank
•10 times the equivalent pipe diameter (single cell) or 13 times the
equivalent diameter of the largest cell (multiple outlets) measured from
where the outlet jet would strike an erodible bank.
 Outlets that discharge into a ‘narrow’ receiving channel should be
angled 45 to 60 degrees to the main channel flow. A receiving
channel is considered ‘narrow’ if:
•The channel width at the bed is less than 5 times the equivalent pipe
diameter, or
•The distance from the outlet to the opposite bank (along the
direction of the outlet jet) is less than 10 times the equivalent pipe
diameter, and
•The inflow is more than 10% of the receiving channel flow
Stormwater outlets that discharge in an upstream direction need to be
avoided wherever practical