Water Resources: Hydraulics and Hydrology
the high velocities with part open gates can cause cavitation erosion in the filling culvert.
The filling culverts need to have sharp bends and, if not designed right, may produce
cavitation pressures and unstable flow conditions. The intake for the lock emptying
culvert must be designed correctly to prevent high negative pressures and cavitation
erosion from occurring at the beginning of the emptying cycle, when the culvert gate is
part open under maximum lock head. As I previously mentioned, the hydraulic design of
a navigation dam with spillway, gates, and stilling basin is very similar to that of other
dams.
So that's really not much of a problem?
A:
Not much at all. There's no problem there.
Did any of those Ohio River navigation dams and locks give you any particular problems?
A:
Yes, there were problems in some locks with vessels that came in from the downstream
end of the lock. After the downstream lock gates were closed, if the lock filling valve was
opened too rapidly high surges and wave action occurred in the lock which buffeted the
vessel all around. It was a simple solution there. Don't open the filling valve too fast.
Let the water in slowly, then?
A:
Yes. But there weren't any catastrophic problems, like those that occurred with some
dams.
Dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers
What were some of the other projects you were working on where you had significant
hydraulic design problems which you had to model test to correct design deficiencies?
Well, there was a significant problem on the Columbia River, with
Dam. I can't
A:
remember the details of it. It had something to do with the spillway. Bonneville Dam had
some problems, too.
How about those dams on the Snake?
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