J.

King
J. King Saud Salld
Univ.,Univ.,
Vol. Vol
10, 11 , Eng.
Eng. Sci.Sci.
(2),(I),
pp.pp. 33-48 (A.H.
163-181 (A.H. 1418/1998)
141 9/ 1999)

Coefficient of Discharge for Free Flow Sluice Gates

Abdualaziz A. Alhamid
Studies -onDepartment,
Civil Eng. the Method of Orthogonal
College a/Engineering, Collocation:
King Saud Universily,
P.D.Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
I-A One-Point Collocation Method for the
Transient
(R~c~ Heat
ived 28 Dec. 1997; Conduction
accepted for publicationProblem
26 April 199R)

Abstract: This paper aims to investigate thc effect of sill shape located under the sluice gate on the coefficient of
discharge for free gate flow conditions. Both sill shape and sill height are studied. Shapes tested include hoth
polygonal and non polygonal sills. Ofthe shapes tested, circular sill is the most eficdive shape, and triangular sill
is the best among the polygonal M.A. Soliman
sills. Besides and A.A.
the shape, Ibrahim*
sill height plays an imp" rtant role on the codftcient of
discharge. Using dimensionalChemical
analysis Engineering
and non linear regression analysis,
Department, *Researchan Center
equation is devdoped to prcdict the
coefficient of discharge for bothCollege
silled and non sill cd free gate
ofEngineering, KingflSaud
ows. The equation includes fl ow parameters, gate
University
opening, sill height, and sill shape factors. The equation
Riyadh 11421, developed agrees we ll with the experimcntal results as well
Saudi Arabia
as published data of other investigators.

Notations
(Received 6 May 1997; accepted for publication 15 November 1997)
A sill cross section area.
Cd coefficient of discharge.
Abstract. A one-point collocation scheme is developed for the transient heat conduction problem. The scheme
Gmakes use gate
of theopening.
asymptotic solution of the problem for short time and the fact that initially the temperature
gprofile canacceleration
be divided into due to gravity.
two zones, a fast temperature changing zone and inactive zone. For long time a Biot
number dependent collocation point is used. The method provides approximate solutions which compares well
H upstream flow depth abO\c thc flume bed.
with the numerical solution and other approximate solutions.
HI upstream flow depth above the sill crest.
P sill wetted perimeter.
q discharge per unit width. Notation
R,. sill hydraulic radius.
Za sill
Shapeheight.
factor in Eq. 1
\}' I , \}' 2
A Biotnumber sill shape factors .
Introduction
m Defmed in Eq.· 56
Gates are widely used to control and regulate flowrate at the crest of overflow spillways,
Nu Nusselt number
or at the entrance of irrigation canals or rivers. The existence of gates disturbs the flow
r Dimensionless distance
rt r at the collocation point
33
t Dimensionless time

163

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34 Abdualaziz A Alhamid

and creates nonuniform flow conditions upstream and downstream of the gate. The
outflow from these gates is classified as free or submerged depending on the tail water
depth. The flow characteristics beneath the gates have been studied extensively, both
theoretically and experimentally by numerous investigators, e.g., Henry [1] , Henderson
[2, pp. 202-210], Rajratnam and Subramanya [3], Rajratnam [4] , Swamee [5] , Ohatsu
and Yasuda [6] .

Sills located under the gates are used mainly to reduce height of the gate and
consequently its weight. Many investigators have studied the effect of sills on the free
outflow characteristics, e.g., Ranja Raju and Visavadia [7], Salama [8], Negm et al. [9
10] and Negm [11] . These studies have experimentally investigated the effect of
trapezoidal sills of different dimensions on the coefficient of discharge. Generally, these
studies showed that the presence of sills under the gate increases the coefficient of
discharge and this increase depends on the sill dimensions.

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the effect of sill
height and shape, including polygonal and non polygonal shapes, located under sluice
gate on the coefficient of discharge. Experiments were carried out in a horizontal
rectangular flume for free gate outflow conditions. Also, an equation for the evaluation
of the coefficient of discharge for both silled and non silled gates was developed and its
performance was compared with the data of other investigators.

Experiments

Experiments were carried out in rectangular flume with Plexiglas walls. The flume
was 9.45 m long and 30.5 cm wide. The depth of the flume was 75 cm for the first 2.7
m, and the depth was 30 cm for the rest of the flume. The flume was provided with two
controlling gates, one vertical gate on the working section, and another tail gate located
in the downstream end of the flume. The flow was provided by a pump having
maximum capacity of 27 1/s, and was measured by a calibrated V-notch constructed in
the measuring tank downstream of the flume . The flow depths were measured by point
gauges of ± 0.1 mm accuracy. Details of the flume are shown in Fig. 1.

Twelve different sills were tested in this study besides the non-silled case. These
sills cross section have five different shapes; namely, triangular, trapezoidal, circular,
semi-circular and rounded front with triangular downstream. Details of these sills are
given in Table 1. Sills were made of tick wood and coated by a thin layer of varnish to
keep the shape unchanged. Sills were fixed on the bed in such a way that the crest was
directly below the gate for non flat top sills; and for flat top sills, gate was located along
the crest center line. Nine of these sills were 5 cm high, and the three circular sills were
2.35 cm, 3.3 cm and 8 cm high.
 Coefficient of Discharge for Free Flow Sluice Gates
35

Different flow conditions were tcsted with discharge ranges between 12 li s to

26 lis, and four gatc openings for a total number of 190 runs.

Table 1. Shapes and dimensions of tested sills (all dimensions in cm)

GATE--..
FLOW--+
P
GATE - ,
FLOW --+ 0 } .3S Io~
I 10.0 • I 2S
.I
Sill 1

P --+
,
Sill 7

-+0 }.lO ~/I

Sill 2
I..s.o I J.o.,
Sill 8

---+ p
P
--+0 =r. o E~
1_ 5.0. 1...5.0.1. 15.0
..I
Sill 3
Sill 9

Jl --+ P

-0 la F~
1. 5.0 • I ~o I 25.0
·1
--+
,
Sill 4

--+
Sill 10
p
Io ~ E 0
1• n .1 I
I·
,
10. 0 ..
Sill S Sill 11
~
J --+

F~ E ~
1. 5.0 I- n .I I..t.o I Z5.1l .I
Sill 6 Si 11 12
36 Abdua laziz A. Al halllid

1------------ ' ·45 ...

COr'ltrai
T. th 'U"", Fro", .upply vol ...
\.u"",1

V-notch

Q-

o.ti .. r i. Aow mtot.,

P\lmp -0 _Q
To It.. .ump
I 1 . lZm

Fig. 1. Details of the experimental apparatus.

Experimental Results

Similar to an ordinary sluice gate, the discharge below gates located over sills in
rectangular channels may be expressed as:
(1)
q = Cd G~2g(H - Z)

where q is the discharge per unit width, H is the upstream flow depth above the channel
bed, G is the gate opening, Z is the sill height above the bed, g is the gravitational
acceleration and Cd is the coefficient of discharge. For the present study Cd was
computed from Eq.(l), and the effect of shape and height are discussed below.

Effect of sill height

Four circular sills having 2.35 cm, 3.3 cm, 5 cm and 8 cm height (diameter)
were tested, and the results are presented graphically in Fig. 2 together with those of the
non silled gate. This figure clearly shows that the gates with sill gave higher Cd values
compared to non silled gate. Figure 2 also shows that sill height plays an important role
in Cd values; since, as the sill height increases, Cd values increase until a specific height
is reached, then Cd values start decreasing again. Tested sill of 5 cm height gave the
highest coefficient of discharge.
 Coeflicient of Discharge for Free Flow Sluice Gates 37

0 .80 - r - - - - - - - - - - -- ----------,
0 Ll[J [1
o il

&1S~
<0 0
0.70 - &-./\ 5<6 X X /\

~~
U-O 0.60- ,
+- +
X -/-
.:... 1+ +,+
/':,. ++' + T'
+ No Sill
+ L Sill 1
0.50- X Sill 2

. 0 Sil14

~
Sill 3

0.40 I I I
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20. 00
(H-Z)/G
Fig. 2. Coefficient of d ischarge for gate located ove r cirClIlal' sills of diffcl'ent dia meters.

Polygonal sills
i) Upstr eam slope effect: The effect of upstream slope on Cd was tested using three
triangular sills having a constant downstream slope of 1Vertical: 5Horizontal and
upstream slopes of 1V:OH, 1V: IH, and 1V:2H. The coefficient of discharge was
plotted against (H-Z)/G in Fig.3. This figure shows that the flatter is the upstream
slope, the higher is the coefficient of discharge, especially for (H-Z)/G values less
than 8, but for higher (H-Z)/G values the effect of upstream slope is minimum. For
the tested sills, upstream slope of 1V:2H is considered as the best since it gives the
maximum coefficient of discharge.

ii) Downstream slope effect: To understand the effect of the sill downstream slope on
Cd' three trapezoidal sills with constant upstream slope of I V: I H and downstream
slopes of IV:OH, IV:3H and IV:5H were tested. Figure 4 shows the variation of Cd
with (H-Z)/G for the three si lls together with the case of no si ll. From this figure , it
can be observed that downstream slope clearly has an effect on the coeffic ient of
discharge, and that downstream slope of 1V:3H is the best among the slopes tested.
38 Abdualaziz A. Alhalllid

0.80 .......- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . ,

·
[J X
0.70- !::,

·
0-00.60 - + ,. + -1

-1- + + ++ 1-
-I-+'\-- + -,
I
No Sill
0.50 - . L SillS

6, Sill 6

X Sill 7

1 - - - - -1---.---.-------1
0.40 -1---...- - -..... 1 •
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00
(H-Z)/G

Fig. 3. Effect of upstream slope oftriangulal' sill on Cd'

0.70
6.
D'~ [J 6. !:\
· 6[J D6 0
~ 6.ff@ ~X X X X X
0.60 - S* 9: X xX + +-
·1

6. +++ +++ +
-0
0 · + +
++
0.50- T
I
No Sill

U Sill 8

6, Sill 9

X Sill 10

0.40 I I . I
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20 .00
(H-Z)/G

Fig. 4. Downstream slop e of effect of trapezoi dal sill on Cd'

 Coefficient of Discharge for Free Flow Sluice Gates 39

Non polygonal sills

Figure 5 shows the effect of the non polygonal sill on the coefficient of discharge.
In this figure, results obtained for three different sills having a height of 5 cm are shown.
These si lls have circular, semicircular and rounded faces with 1V:5H downstream
slopes. This figure shows that a sill of circular shape gave the highest coefficient of
discharge compared to the others.

0. 80
6.
- 6.6.
I::,
h. 6.6.

~I::,
0.70 -
° ~ X X~ Ox X ° X
% OO)O~
I::,fi

X7J<X
0-00.60 - 0?X -I- + +
X +
+-1-+ +...j..
+'
+
i+ +
+ No Sill
0.50- X Sill 12

0 Sill 11

/::, Sill 3

0.40 I . I I
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00
(H-Z)/G

Fig. S. Coefficient of disc ha.·ge fo .· non polygona l si ll s.

Effective sill shape

The most effective sill shape, among the shapes tested, is found to be the circular
shape as seen from Fig. 6. For the same sill height, this sill yielded an average increase
of about 28 .6 % above the non silled Cd values, while the polygonal sill of triangu lar
shape produced an average increase in the Cd value of about 19.0 % more than the non
silled case. As Cd sums up the effect of flow curvature and local losses, this increase in
the coefficient of discharge may be attributed to the reduction of local losses when sills
are used instead of ordinary gates. Also, existence os ills may create negative pressures
downstream of the gate which increases the flow and hence Cd. This becomes clear when
a circu lar sill is used compared to other sill shapes.
40 Abdualaziz A. A1hamid

O . 80-r--------------------------------------~
6
- l\
1\ 6C:.

0.70-
><
X X
1"-
. «.> () 'v
<> <)

0-00.60 - , +- +
-'.+
. -,-

No Sill
0.50- <> Sill 9

>: Sill 7
I' SiII3
'--'-
0.40 +---..-----.,..-.----.----.,..-----.----...------..-----4
I
0.00 5.00
•
10.00 15.00 20.00
(H-Z)/G
Fig. 6. Coeffieient of discharge for non polygonal sills.

Development of the Discharge Equation

i) Non silled gate

For ordinary (non silled) gate, Swamee (1992) developed a general equation
for estimating the coefficient of discharge, Cd, in the following form :

H- G )0.071
Cd = 0.611( - - - (2)
H+ISG

Swamee equation is plotted together with the present data in Fig. 7. As seen from the
figure, the present data points follow the same trend as that of the Swamee equation,
but the equation underestilllates Cd values by a maximum of6.0 % and an average of
3.9 %. Also, Eq.(2) is drawn together with the data of Rajratnam and Subramanya [8],
Rajratnam [7] and Negm et al [3] in Fig. 8. This figure shows that Swamee equation
underestimates Cd values by a maximum of 8.0 % and an average of 4. 9 %. Hence,
coefficients of Eq.(2) were reevaluated based on the present data, and Eq.(2) becomes:
 Coeffic ient of Discharge for Free Flow Sl uice Gates 41

0.70-r--------------------------------------~

0.60 + + ++ +
+ +-, + '~-----...:-----
++ T
~+
!.

0.50

+ Present
Swamee Eq.

0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20 .00 25.00 30.00 35.00

H/G
Fig. 7. Comparison of Swamcc equation with t he present data (no sill ).

0.70 -,-----------------------------------------..,

o & X ><
0.60 ~+6 I·

"'0
o
0.50
+ Present

1\ R&S(1967)

X R (1977)

0 N et al(1993a)
Swamee Eq.
0.40 -+-__.......- __....... ~.--..,.......,~..,..._,-..,..._,-"T""'_,-"'"

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20 .0 25.0 30 .0 35 .0

H/G
Fig. 8. Compariso n of Swa mce cquation with the data of other investi gators.
42 Abdualaziz A. Alhamid

H - G )000649 (3)
Cd =0.63( - - -
H+lSG

Equation (3) is drawn together with the available data of other investigators in Fig. 9. It
predicts Cd values accurately with a maximum error less than 2.7 % for the present data,
and less than 4.8 % for all available data.

0 . 70~------------------------------------------~

& X

0.60
0
C 1- 1\
X
f-
- - -
X '

"0
o Present

/\ R&S(1967)
0.50
X R (1977)

0 N et al(1993a)

Swamee Eq.
Eq . (3)
0.40 -+--...........- ...........--1.....~.....r--..,.......r--..,.......r--..,.......r---t
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25 .00 30.00 35.00
H/G
Fig. 9. Cd values for non silled gate together with eq uations 2 and 3.

ii) Silled gate

For free flow beneath silled gate shown in Fig. 10, the functional relationship
for Cd may be written as:

(4)
 Coefficient of Discharge for Free Flow Sluice Gates 43

Fig. 10. Defmition sketch for gate located over sill.

where HI is the upstream flow depth above the sill crest; \If I ' \If 2 ' ... are shape factors
representing the effect of the shape of the sill on Cd. For ordinary gate flow, Cd is a
function of H/G only as seen above from Eqs 2 and 3.

For polygonal sills, upstream slope, downstream slope and crest shape are the
main shape parameters, while for non polygonal shapes the above are invalid. Hence a
common shape factor, or factors, are required to represent all shapes.

Many shape parameters were tried in order to represent the different shapes
efficiently. Finally, the sill wetted perimeter, P, and sill hydraulic radius, R,,=AIP,
where A is the sill cross sectional area, were found as suitable shape factors .

Using non linear regression analysis, an equation was obtained in the

following form :

Z)0.3618( H I )0.0434
0.0649 ( 1+ - 1+ -
C = 0 63 ( HI - G ) G P (5)
d . H I +15G ( R s )0.5169( R s )0.3 887
1+ - 1- -
G HI

This equation can be used for both silled and non silled free gate flow and can
predict Cd values with a maximum error ofless than 6.0 %. For non silled gate, Z will
be equal to zero, P will be infinity and HI is equal to H, and Eq.(5) will reduce to
Eq.(3).

Figure. 11 presents the comparison between the measured Cd and the

computed ones using Eq.(5), in which good agreement is observed. Also the equation
44 Abd ualaziz A. Alhamid

0.80
I inc of r quolity
•
t,(
Sill 1

~; ill I
::K

+ Sit: .~

::K ~; ill 4

0 Sil: ~)

rJ Si:16

0.70 () oill 1

!\ Sill H
"0
0 'V Sill9
"0

- X Siil1(1
Q)
,,( Sill!!
::J
c.. ~ Sill 1/
E fl;o Sill
0
0
0.60

0.50 -I'---.,---..,....---r---T"""""--,------4
0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80
Measured Cd
Fig. 11. Measured and computed C" values for different sill shapes.

obtained as shown in Fig. 12. In this figure, SA, SB and se are Salama data for
trapezoidal sills with OV:OH upstream slope and 1V: IH, 1V:2H and 1V:3H downstream
slopes, respectively; and, NA and NB are Negm et al data for triangular sill with 1V: IH
upstream slope and 1V:5H downstream slope and trapezoidal sill of 1V: IH upstream
slope and 1V:5H downstream slope, respectively.

Discharge value, for both silled and non silled free gate flow can be computed
from both Eq.(I) and Eq.(5).
 Coeffic ient of Discharge for I'ree Flow Sluice Gates 45
0.80 - , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - " r
0 NA

0 NB

D SA

0 SB

X se
0.70 Line of Equality
8

0.60

0.50 + -- ....,..--.....,.--......,.--.....,---,-------4
0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80
Computed Cd
Fig. 12. Comparison of the developed equations with published data.

As seen in Fig. 2, sill height is a key factor on Cd values, and the experimental
fi ndings appears to be logica l in which Cd values increased with increased Z va lues up to
a certain Z value, then Cd start to decrease. Simi larl y, Cd decreased with decreased Z
value until Z become zero and non sill condition exist. Thi s can be exp lained as fo llow,
once the Z value reach a certain limit, the retained dead flow in front of the sill increased
and behave similar to a false bed and local losses increased then Cd va lues start to
decrease approaching towards non silled condition when Z become extremely high. In
Fig. 11 , it is clear that the developed equation predict the Cd va lues properly and height
effect represented properly for low z values, whi le for high z va lu e equation breaks
down. For Z=8 cm, Cd values are overestimated while for Z=5 cm, Cd values are
underestimated. This seems to be acceptable as Cd values increased with increased Z
values for three sets of data, wh ile for only one set of data it start to decrease with
increased Z value, the increasing trend is predominant. So developed equation can not
cope with this condition although the predicted values are within ± 6 % of error. In order
46 Abdualaziz A. Alhamid

to consider this situation, extra data need to be used, especially for high Z values, then
trend can be established in the equation. And due to limitations of the available
instmments in the lab, it is not possible to do, at present, for Z values more than 8 cm.
Also the behavior of the sill shapes with height should be test before applying the
developed equation. Hence, it is recommended to use the developed equation within the
limitations of development conditions until a generalized form is developed which cover
a wide range of shape- height effect and high H/ G ratios.

Discussion

Although the data used in Fig. 12 are for sills having different shapes from the
ones used in equation development (shapes are described in the previous section), this
figure indicates that the developed equation is good enough for application to other sill
shapes and that the shape factors used are good. But it is not reconmlended, at this stage,
to use the equation out of its limitations.

Conclusion

The presence of sill under sluice gate has a pOSItive effect on the flow
characteristics as it increases the coefficient of discharge no matter what shape is used.
Both shape and height plays an important role in the enhancement of the discharge
coefficient. For the shapes tested it is concluded that circular sill is the most effective
shape compared to all other shapes, and triangular sill is most effective compared to
other polygonal sill shapes.

An equation for computing the flow discharge was developed for both silled
and non silled gate conditions. The equation includes the flow parameters, gate opening
and the sill shape parameters. This equation predicts the coefficient of discharge
accurately, and can be used for ordinary as well as silled gates within the limitations on
which the equation was developed.

References

[I] Henry, H. "Discussion of " Diffusion of Submerged Jets." Trans. Proc. ASCE, 115 (1950), 687-697.
l2] Henderson , F. M. Open Chann el Flow. New York : Macmillan Publishing Co . Inc ., 1966.
[3] Rajratnam, N. and Subramanya , K. " Flow Equation for the Sluice Gate . .. JOllrnal of Irrigation and
Dl"lIinage Division, ASCE, 93, No . 4 (1967), 167-186.
l41 Rajratnam, N. " Free Flow Immediately Below Sluice Gates . .. JOlll"llal of Hy dralllics Division, ASCE,
103 , No . 4 (1997), 345-351.
[5] Swa11lee,P.K. (1992), "Sluice Gate Discharge Equation ." JOl/I"Ilal of Irrigation and Dl"lI inllge Division,
ASCE, 118, No. I (1992), 57-60.
[6] Ohatsu, I. and Yasuda, Y. "Characteristics of Supercritical Flow Below Sluice Gate ." Journal of
11rtiraulic Engineering, ASCE, 120, No . 3 ( 1994), 332-346.
 Coefficient of Discharge for Free Flow Sluice Gates 47

[7] Ranja Raju, K.G. and Visavadia, D.S. "Disc harge Characteristics ofa Sluice Gate Located on a Raised
Crest." Proc. IMEKO in Indu, Tokyo. 1979. pp. 39-43.
l8] Salama, M. "Flow Below Sluice Gate with Sill. " Journal of Egyptian Society of Engineering, 26, No.
4 (1987),31-36.
[9] Negm, A.M., Abouelatta, N. and Abdellateef, M. "S upercritical Free Flow Characteristics Under Si ll ed
Sluice Gate." Scientific Bulletin , Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo. 28, No. 4
(1933), 163-174.
[10] Negm, A.M., Abdellateef, M. and Owais, T. "Effect of Under Gate Sill Crest Shape on the
Supercritical Free Flow Characteristics." Proc. AE1C-93 Con!, 18 - 21 Dec. 1993. Naser City,
Cairo, pp. 230-241.
[11] Negm, A.M. "Free and Submerged Flow Below Sluice Gate with Sill." Proc. ICHE-95 Con!, 22-26
.March 1995. Beijing, China. pp. 283-300.