CULVERTS, BRIDGES, AND

STORM DRAINS

 Walter F. Silva, Ph.D., P.E.

 December 8 & 11, 2015

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 Reference

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 BRIDGE VS CULVERT
 Culverts are used:
 Where bridges are not hydraulically required
 Where debris and ice potential are tolerable
 Where more economical than a bridge (including guardrail and
safety concerns)

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 BRIDGE VS CULVERT
 Bridges are used:
 Where culverts are impractical
 Where more economical than a culvert
 To satisfy land-use and access requirements
 To mitigate environmental concerns not satisfied by a culvert
 To avoid floodway encroachments
 To accommodate ice and large debris

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 BRIDGE VS CULVERT
 CONSIDERATIONS
 The initial cost for a culvert is usually less than a bridge
 Consider possible flood damages associated with increased
headwater
 Bridge maintenance is typically more costly
 Safety and aesthetic considerations
 Culverts exceeding a 20 ft (6.1 m) span width are considered
bridges according to the National Bridge Inspection Standards
(NBIS)
Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.
 BRIDGE VS CULVERT

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 and analyses used for culverts and
bridges.
 Culvert  Bridge
 Normal depth analysis  Uses Gradually Varied Flow
 Neglects approaching velocity (GVF)
and downstream velocity  Accounts for approach and
 May overestimate entrance downstream velocities
and exit energy losses  Span larger than 20 ft (6.1 m)
 Large culverts with free surface
flow requires GVF analysis
 Span of 20 ft (6.1 m) or less

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 When does a long culvert begin to
resemble a "short" storm drain system?

 Use storm drain analyses and computer programs if:

 there are multiple inflow points along the culvert (such as
roadway or median inlets)
 Multiple geometric changes (bends, pipe size changes, slope
changes, etc)
 Potential changes in flow regime within the barrel

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 CULVERT SHAPES

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 MATERIALS

 Concrete (both reinforced and non-reinforced)

 Corrugated metal (aluminum or steel)
 Plastic: high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
 Corrugated Polyethylene (PE)

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 Terminology
Hl

HW
WSu

TW

EGL = Energy Grade Line HW = Headwater

HGL = Hydraulic Grade Line WSu Upstream Water Surface Elevation
Energy Losses = Hl TW = Tailwater
 CULVERT ANALYSIS
 Complicated hydraulic structures
 Wide variety of conditions
 Flow: gradually Varied, rapidly varied, transient
 Flow full (under pressure) or as open channel
 Open channels could be Subcritical or supercritical
 Hydraulic jumps could occur inside the culvert
 Control could be at the inlet or the outlet

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 FLOW CONDITIONS

 1. Full Flow – often called as “pressure

flow” and can be caused by high
downstream or upstream water surface
elevation.

 2. Partly Full (Free Surface) Flow – often

called as “open channel flow” may be
categorized as subcritical, critical, or
supercritical.

 ** Identification of subcritical or
supercritical flow is required to continue
the analysis of free surface flow
Flow conditions over a small dam.
conditions.**
Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.
 CONTROL SECTION
 To analyze free surface flow conditions,
a point of known depth and flow must
first be identified.

 The place where this condition occurs is

called a CONTROL SECTION

 Common control sections are those

where critical depth occurs

 The control section in a culvert

could occurs at the inlet or the
outlet
Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.
 INLET CONTROL
1. The culvert barrel is capable of
conveying more flow than the inlet will
accept.

2. The control section is located just

inside the entrance.

3. Critical depth occurs near this location,
and the flow regime immediately
downstream is supercritical.
4. Hydraulic characteristics downstream
of the inlet control section do not affect
the culvert capacity.
5. The upstream water surface
elevation and the inlet geometry
represent the major flow controls.
6. The inlet geometry includes the
inlet shape, inlet cross-sectional
area, and the inlet configuration

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 OUTLET CONTROL
1. The culvert barrel is not capable of conveying
as much flow as the inlet opening will accept.

2. The control section for outlet control flow in a

culvert is at the barrel exit or further
downstream.

3. Either subcritical or pressure flow exists in the

culvert barrel

4. All of the geometric and hydraulic

characteristics of the culvert play a role in
determining its capacity.

5. These characteristics include the factors

governing inlet control, the water surface
elevation at the outlet, and the barrel
characteristics Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.
 INLET AND OUTLET CONTROL
VARIABLES

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.

 Learn something about..

UNIFORM AND CRITICAL FLOW

PIPE FLOW

Before continuing..

Walter F. Silva Araya, Ph.D., P.E.