Minimum Specific Energy and Critical Flow Conditions in Open Channels

In open channels, the relationship between the specific energy and the flow depth exhibits a minimum, and the corresponding flow conditions are called critical flow conditions. Herein they are re-analysed on the basis of the depth-averaged Bernoulli equation. At critical flow, there is only one possible flow depth, and a new analytical expression of that characteristic depth is developed for ideal-fluid flow situations with non-hydrostatic pressure distribution and non-uniform velocity distribution. The results are applied to relevant critical flow conditions : e.g., at the crest of a spillway. The finding may be applied to predict more accurately the discharge on weir and spillway crests

Introducing Originality and Innovation in Engineering Teaching: The Hydraulic Design of Culverts

Recently the teaching of engineering design has become a presentation of standards and codes rather than the learning of sound design practices. Too many students request formulae and equations to solve a design exercise and they fail to develop any design originality. The present student attitude leads to young graduate engineers without critical ability and innovative flair. The writer has developed an innovative hydraulic design exercise based upon culvert design. Each design exercise could lead to more than one correct design per student in the class. Students have to learn basic design calculations based upon lecture material, notes, field visits and laboratory experiment. The practical component (laboratory, field visit) contributes significantly to their understanding of the complete system, including some basic safety and professional issues

Hydraulic Performances of Minimum Energy Loss Culverts in Australia

Culverts are among the most common hydraulic structures. Modern designs do not differ from ancient structures and are often characterised by significant afflux at design flows. A significant advance was the development of the Minimum Energy Loss (MEL) culverts in the late 1950s. The design technique allows a drastic reduction in upstream flooding associated with lower costs. The development and operational performances of this type of structure is presented. The successful operation of MEL culverts for more than 40 years is documented with first-hand records during and after floods. The experiences demonstrate the design soundness while highlighting the importance of the hydraulic expertise of the design engineers

Unsteady Two-Dimensional Orifice Flow: A Large-Size Experimental Investigation

Orifice flows were used as water clocks since the Antiquity up to the 16-th century. Today orifices and nozzles are used for measuring discharges. Most works were conducted with steady flow conditions and there is little information on the unsteady flow pattern. In this study, the writers describe an experimental investigation of an unsteady orifice flow discharging vertically. The study was conducted in a large-size facility with a rectangular orifice (0.75-m by 0.07-m) discharging up to 1.2 m3 in about 10 seconds. The study presents new information on the unsteady flow patterns, the discharge capacity and the velocity field in the reservoir. The results are compared with 'classical' orifice flow results

Acoustic radiation by vortex induced flexible wall vibration

Sound radiation due to unsteady interaction between an inviscid vortex (which models a turbulent eddy) and a finite length flexible boundary in a two-dimensional space is studied using potential theory and the matched asymptotic expansion technique. The Mach number of the vortex propagation is kept below 0.15. Results suggest that the monopole field created by the volumetric flow induced by the vibrating flexible boundary dominates the overall acoustic power radiation. The longitudinal dipole directly due to the transverse vortex acceleration is only important when the vortex is moving over the flexible boundary. The longitudinal dipole resulting from the boundary vibration gains slightly in importance in the strong vortex case, but the corresponding transverse dipole remains negligible for the cases considered in the present study. The two longitudinal dipoles give rise to biased radiation directivities on both sides of the flexible boundary. © 2005 Acoustical Society of America.published_or_final_versio

Patterns in Greater Sage-grouse population dynamics correspond with public grazing records at broad scales

Human land use, such as livestock grazing, can have profound yet varied effects on wildlife interacting within common ecosystems, yet our understanding of land-use effects is often generalized from short-term, local studies that may not correspond with trends at broader scales. Here we used public land records to characterize livestock grazing across Wyoming, USA, and we used Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) as a model organism to evaluate responses to livestock management. With annual counts of male Sage-grouse from 743 leks (breeding display sites) during 2004-2014, we modeled population trends in response to grazing level (represented by a relative grazing index) and timing across a gradient in vegetation productivity as measured by the Normalized Vegetation Difference Index (NDVI). We found grazing can have both positive and negative effects on Sage-grouse populations depending on the timing and level of grazing. Sage-grouse populations responded positively to higher grazing levels after peak vegetation productivity, but populations declined when similar grazing levels occurred earlier, likely reflecting the sensitivity of cool-season grasses to grazing during peak growth periods. We also found support for the hypothesis that effects of grazing management vary with local vegetation productivity. These results illustrate the importance of broad-scale analyses by revealing patterns in Sage-grouse population trends that may not be inferred from studies at finer scales, and could inform sustainable grazing management in these ecosystems