Important Parts of Culvert Design

(Figures, quotations from Hydraulic Design of Highway Culverts, US DOT, 2005

http://isddc.dot.gov/OLPFiles/FHWA/012545.pdf)

Cross-Sectional Shapes:

Factors of consideration:
“The shape selection is based on the cost of construction, the limitation on
upstream water surface elevation, roadway embankment height, and
hydraulic performance.”

Materials:
Three most coming are concrete, corrugated aluminum, and corrugated steel.

Factors of Consideration:
“The selection of a culvert material may depend upon structural strength,
hydraulic roughness, durability, and corrosion and abrasion resistance.
Culverts may also be lined with other materials to inhibit corrosion and
abrasion, or to reduce hydraulic resistance. For example, corrugated metal
culverts may be lined with asphaltic concrete.”
Inlets:

(Four standard inlet types)

Factors of Consideration: “Structural stability, aesthetics, erosion control, and fill

retention are considerations in the selection of various inlet configurations.”

Flow Conditions:
a. Full flow- “The hydraulic condition in a culvert flowing full is called
pressure flow. If the cross sectional area of the culvert in pressure flow
 were increased, the flow area would expand. One condition which can
create pressure flow in a culvert is the back pressure caused by a high
downstream water surface elevation. A high upstream water surface
elevation may also produce full flow. Regardless of the cause, the
capacity of a culvert operating under pressure flow is affected by
upstream and downstream conditions and by the hydraulic
characteristics of the culvert.”
b. Partly full (free surface) flow- “Free surface flow or open channel flow may
be categorized as subcritical, critical, or supercritical. A determination
of the appropriate flow regime is accomplished by evaluating the
dimensionless number, Fr, called the Froude number: Fr = V/ (g yh) . In
0.5

this equation, V is the average velocity of flow, g is the gravitational

acceleration, and yh is the hydraulic depth. The hydraulic depth is
calculated by dividing the cross-sectional flow area by the width of the
free water surface. When Fr > 1.0, the flow is supercritical and is
characterized as swift. When Fr < 1.0, the flow is subcritical and
characterized as smooth and tranquil. If F r = 1.0, the flow is said to be
critical.”

“The three flow regimes are illustrated in the depiction of a small dam below.
Subcritical flow occurs upstream of the dam crest where the water is deep
and the velocity is low. Supercritical flow occurs downstream of the dam crest
where the water is shallow and the velocity is high. Critical flow occurs at the
dam crest and represents the dividing point between the subcritical and
supercritical flow regimes.”

Types of Flow Control:

a. Inlet Control
b. Outlet Control
Headwater:
“Energy is required to force flow through a culvert. This energy takes the
form of an increased water surface elevation on the upstream side of the
culvert. The depth of the upstream water surface measured from the invert at
the culvert entrance is generally referred to as headwater depth. A
considerable volume of water may be ponded upstream of a culvert
installation under high fills or in areas with flat ground slopes. The pond which
is created may attenuate flood peaks under such conditions. This peak
discharge attenuation may justify a reduction in the required culvert size.”

Tailwater:
“Tailwater is defined as the depth of water downstream of the culvert
measured from the outlet invert. It is an important factor in determining
culvert capacity under outlet control conditions. Tailwater may be caused by
an obstruction in the downstream channel or by the hydraulic resistance of
the channel. In either case, backwater calculations from the downstream
control point are required to precisely define tailwater. When appropriate,
normal depth approximations may be used instead of backwater
calculations.”

Outlet Velocity:
“Since a culvert usually constricts the available channel area, flow velocities
in the culvert are likely to be higher than in the channel. These increased
velocities can cause streambed scour and bank erosion in the vicinity of the
culvert outlet. Minor problems can occasionally be avoided by increasing the
barrel roughness. Energy dissipaters and outlet protection devices are
sometimes required to avoid excessive scour at the culvert outlet. When a
culvert is operating under inlet control and the culvert barrel is not operating
at capacity, it is often beneficial to flatten the barrel slope or add a
roughened section to reduce outlet velocities.”

Performance Curves:
“A performance curve is a plot of headwater depth or elevation versus flow
rate. The resulting graphical depiction of culvert operation is useful in
evaluating the hydraulic capacity of a culvert for various headwaters. Among
its uses, the performance curve displays the consequences of higher flow
rates at the site and the benefits of inlet improvements. In developing a
culvert performance curve, both inlet and outlet control curves must be
plotted. This is necessary because the dominant control at a given headwater
is hard to predict. Also, control may shift from the inlet to the outlet, or vice-
versa over a range of flow rates. At the design headwater, the culvert
operates under inlet control. With inlet improvement the culvert performance
can be increased to take better advantage of the culvert barrel capacity.”
Data Requirements for Culvert Design: