FINAL EXPERIMENT:

DISCHARGE MEASUREMENT: FLOW COEFFICIENT DETERMINATION OF

SUBMERGED WEIRS USING THE TEACHING FLUME APPARATUS
OBJECTIVES:
To demonstrate the use of submerged weirs for discharge measurement in open
channels
To experimentally determine weir coefficients for rectangular and V-notched patterns
To compare the experimental coefficients with values reported in the literature
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILOs):
To investigate and understand the different types of weirs

To obtain proper skills and knowledge in solving problems and equations for
weirs.

To make students understand about the concepts, theories and principles of both
free discharge weirs and submerged weirs

To understand the factors affecting the coefficients for Rectangular and Vnotched patterned weirs.

To apply the concepts and theories acquired in the professional engineering

practice.
ABSTRACT:
The main objective of the experiment is to investigate and obtain acceptable values for
weir coefficients. The experiment was carried out and will be presented with the flow
coefficient (also known as the coefficient of discharge) or C in focus. The experiment
was done under tight conditions on the control volume (rotameter). The properties of
the flowing liquid, as well as properties of both the rectangular and v-notched weirs to
be used, are taken into careful considerations.
First, the discharge coefficients for both rectangular and triangular weirs are
quantitatively determined, that is, by ten (10) trials each. After obtaining the initial
value of the coefficient of flow, we arranged our set up so that the weir will be
submerged.
We repeated the number of trials on both weirs and recorded relevant data.

From the result of the experiment, we determined the value of the coefficient of
discharge as well as its variance on the actual value we obtained from the quantitative
method (trials) and theoretical values (based on literature and references), thus adding
pertinence to its acceptability.
INTRODUCTION/DISCUSSION:

The measurement of water flowing in open channels is important in many

aspects of our society. The increasing demand on existing water sources, continually
increasing costs of irrigation schemes and accompanying development costs
necessitate that existing water be used economically and effectively. Regular
measurements provide valuable information to the irrigation farmer or irrigation
board that can be used very effectively to:
evaluate the performance of a scheme or system;
facilitate the fair division of water between irrigators and thereby reduce the
risk of faulty divisions and shortages;
ease the administration of division and distribution;
show up possible shortcomings or problem areas in a scheme or system;
build up a data base which can be used for future planning;
serve as a source of reference for irrigation research and technology
development;
determine the time and extent of system maintenance;
enable control of and over stream sizes and volumes;
simplify scheduling management.
Flow measurement with structures in open channels depends on the flow rate
to flow depth relation, which is determined for each structure by means of

calibration. Besides the physical structure to be installed in open channels, it is

necessary to measure the flow depth at the structure so that the relation can be used
to determine the flow rate. The flow depth can be measured with various instruments,
which varies from measuring plates, which do not collect continuity data, to
mechanical or electronic sensors with automatic registers. Water flowing in rivers and
streams must be monitored to assure adequate water supplies for residential and
industrial uses. In agriculture, water is often conveyed to farmers in open channels
for irrigating fields, and such allocations are strictly controlled. It is also important to
measure water flow during flooding events for water level prediction in order to avoid
property damage and loss of life.
Most methods for measuring water flow in open channels involve placing an
"obstruction" in the channel that extends from one channel boundary to the other.
Water backs up and then spills over or through the obstruction. Large obstructions,
which are capable of measuring open channel flow in rivers, are called dams. In
smaller streams and canals we use weirs to measure water flow, which are smaller
and more structurally simple. Weirs are the most common method of measuring
flows in open channels, and they are widely applied in both the field and the
laboratory.
Weir is defined as a barrier over which the water flows in an open channel. The
edge or surface over which the water flows is called the crest. The overflowing sheet of
water is the nappe. If the nappe discharges into the air, the weir has free discharge. If
the discharge is partly under water, the weir is submerged or drowned.
Weirs used for the purposes of flow measurement are most often sharp
crested, so that the water springs clear of the notch (Fig. 1). The two most common
shapes of weirs are rectangular and V-notched (Fig. 2). As might be expected, the
V-notch weir is better suited for measurement of low flow rates since the head
increases more rapidly in proportion to the discharge. Most V-notched weirs are
designed with a vertex angle of 90 degrees.

Fig 1 Flow over a Sharp Crested Weir

Fig. 2 - Common Weir Geometries

The analysis of water flow over a sharp crested weir is, at best, an exceedingly
complex problem, and a rigorous analytical solution is not possible. We will therefore
make certain simplifying assumptions in order to solve the problem. It will be
assumed that:

The fluid is incompressible

The fluid friction is negligible.

The flow is irrotational.

The flow is steady and two-dimensional.

The fluid velocity upstream of the weir very small relative to the velocity of
the water passing over the weir and can be neglected.

We begin with a fundamental equation that relates the flow rate, the width of
weir, and the depth of water passing over the weir. From considerations of continuity
and Bernoulli's Theorem, the generic weir equation may be written as:

Q=CLHn

Eq. 1

where :

Q = flow rate over the weir

C= coefficient of discharge, also known as the weir coefficient (dimensions

vary)
L= length of weir over which water flows (L)
H= depth of water (head) behind the crest of the weir,
n = an empirical exponent (dimensionless)

The values of C and n depend on the geometry and construction details of the
weir, so they are best determined by field or laboratory experiment. The values of C
and n are empirical constants for a particular design of weir, and they define the
working equation for the weir.
From analytical considerations it can be shown that the exponent n should
have the following theoretical values:

For rectangular notch weirs => H3/2

For V-notch weirs => H5/2

The values of C are sensitive to the geometry and scale of the particular weir. There
are many types of weirs depending upon their shape, nature of discharge, width of

crest and nature of crest. But the following are important from the subject point of
view:

Types of Weirs:
1. According to the shape :

Rectangular weir

Cippoletti weir

V-notched weir

2. According to the nature of discharge :

Ordinary weir

Submerged or drowned weir

3. According to the width of crest :

Narrow crested weir

Broad crested weir

4. According to the nature of crest :

Sharp crested weir

Ogee weir
In practice, weirs can have a wide variety of designs, although the fundamental

principle remain the same: place an obstruction in the channel and develop a
relationship between water depth and flow rate. For example, with narrow-crested
weirs the shape of the surface of the crest greatly affects the form of the nappe. The
cross sections and nappe form for five types of narrow-crested weirs are shown in
Figure 3, as an illustration.

(a) narrow square-edge;

(b) rear-edge rounded;
(c) sloping rear faced;
(d) medium square-edge;
(e) "ogee" crest weir.
Fig. 3 - Cross Sections of Various Narrow-Crested Weirs
Another weir variant is the broad-crested weir shown in Figure 4 (a). With
this type of weir the depth of the water remains constant over the majority of the
extra-wide crest. It is also possible to use weirs where the downstream side of the
weir is partially under water, which is known as a submerged weir or drowned weir
(Figure 4 (b)).

(a) Broad-Crested Weir

(b) Submerged or Drowned

Weir
Fig. 4 - Other Weir Variants

APPARATUS:
For this experiment, we are required to have:

Multi-purpose Teaching Flume

Hydraulic Bench
Incompressible liquid (for this instance, we used water.)
Ruler
Rectangular weir
V-notched weir

PROCEDURE:
PART 1: FREE DISCHARGE WEIRS
1. Measure the length L of the rectangular plate.
2. Install the rectangular notch weir plate.
3. Adjust the depth gauge so that the tip of the gauge is even with the
bottom of the notch in the weir plate. Record the value on the gauge.
This is the zero datum for H.
4. Turn on the Hydraulics Bench and slowly open the flow control valve
until water just begins to flow over the brink of the weir. Using the
rotameter reading, record your flow rate under Q in the data which will
be shown in the latter part. Make sure that the nappe of the water
springs clear of the plate. Allow at least two minutes for the water level
to stabilize.
5. Adjust the depth gauge to coincide with the water surface. Use the ruler
to measure the height. Record your value under the column H.
6. Successively increase the flow over the weir in increments making at
least nine more measurements for a total of ten, repeating the
procedure above.

7. Take the triangular plate and measure its angle, either by vernier caliper

or by solving for it. (tan =

height
ba se )

8. Install the V-notch weir plate in the bench.

9. Repeat all of the above steps, except it is recommended with the
V-notch weir that you begin with the highest flow rate first and then
work your way downward.
10. Record all pertinent data and solve for the initial value of C.

PART 2: SUBMERGED WEIRS

1. Measure the length L of the rectangular plate.
2. Install the rectangular notch weir plate.
3. Adjust the depth gauge so that the tip of the gauge is even with the
bottom of the notch in the weir plate. Record the value on the gauge.
This is the zero datum for H. This time, insure that the plate is
submerged or downstream side of the weir is partially under water.
4. Turn on the Hydraulics Bench and slowly open the flow control valve
until water just begins to flow. Allow at least two minutes for the water
level to stabilize.
5. Adjust ANO NGA YUNG TAWAG SA H2? NOTE TO SELF:
6.

SEARCH.REWORD THIS CHUVA AND GET YOURSELF TOGETHER.

GROUP NO. 2
DATE PERFORMED: February 4, 2016
GROUP MEMBERS:
LEADER: LAURAYA, Katherine Joyce S.
MEMBERS:
BORINAGA, Jhon Michael M.
MERCADO, Renzo M.

CE42FA4
DATE SUBMITTED:
Instructor: Engr. Gerard Justo
SALAC, Kenn Paolo P.
TANDOY, Christian Paul A.
ZETA, Emanuel Jethro A.

DATA AND RESULTS:

FREE DISCHARGE RECTANGULAR NOTCH WEIR

Trial
Q
L (m)
H
C
C
(m3/hr
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

)
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
2.5
5
5.5

(cm)
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06

2.1
2.8
3.3
3.7
4.2
4.6
4.9
5.4
5.9
5.9

1.
1.51
1.54
1.60
1.62
1.64
1.73
1.79
1.60
1.79

1.63

SUBMERGED RECTANGULAR NOTCH WEIR

Trial
H1
H2
Qrotameter
1
2.5
1.4
1
V-NOTCH
WEIR1.2
2 FREE DISCHARGE
2.8
1.8
Q
H 2.0 C
C
3Trial
3.0
1.4
4
1.6
(m33.2
/hr
(cm) 1.7
5
3.5
2.3
1.8
)3.7
6
2.1
2.0
1
0.2
3.0
0.36
7
3.9
2.1
2.2
0.4
3.9 2.20.37
8 2
4.1
2.4
0.6
4.4 2.00.41
9 3
4.3
2.6
0.8
4.6 2.20.49
10 4
4.5
2.8
5
1.0
4.9
0.51
6
1.1
5.0
0.54
0.53
7
1.2
5.1
0.63
8
1.3
5.2
0.65
9
1.4
5.3
0.66
10
1.5
5.3
0.64

Q
1.39
1.61
1.83
2.02
2.31
2.51
2.71
2.93
3.14
3.36

Trial
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

H1
4.0
4.1
4.3
4.5
4.7
4.8
5.0
5.2
5.3
5.5

SUBMERGED V-NOTCH WEIR

H2
Qrotameter
1.3
0.2
1.35
0.4
1.40
0.6
1.50
0.8
1.55
1.0
1.60
1.1
1.65
1.2
1.70
1.3
1.80
1.4
1.90
1.5

Q
0.61
0.65
0.73
0.82
0.91
0.96
1.07
1.18
1.23
1.35

Qcomputed
0.6
0.63
0.71
0.799
0.89
0.935
1.04
1.15
1.20
1.31

INSERT COMPUTATION, PAMPAHABA!

BEASTMODE CONCLUSION!
YUNG STAT ANALYSIS? XD
GO CHEN.
INSERT RRL PARA HUMABA LALO.
PERCENT ERROR: PAKITA MO VARIANCE FROM INITIAL C THEN ACTUAL
VALUE NG C, AGAIN ASK THE HEAVENS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH FAST NET.