Time of Concentration

1
Objectives

 Know how to calculate time of

concentration
 Know why it’s important to be able to
determine the time of concentration

2
Definition

 Time required for runoff to travel from

the hydraulically most distant point on
a watershed to another point of
interest within the watershed

3
Factors
 Surface roughness
 Channel shape and flow patterns
 Slope

 Urbanization generally increases the runoff

velocities and therefore decreases the time
of concentration

4
Importance

 Rational method
– Calculate time of concentration, tc
– Set duration = tc
– Use IDF curve to find rainfall intensity

 TR-55 Method
– Calculate time of concentration, tc
– Look up unit peak discharge on the appropriate Exhibit 4-#

5
Typical Values for Tc
< 50 Acres

 5 minutes to 30 minutes

6
Water can move through
a watershed as:
 Sheet flow (max of 300 ft; ---usually 100 ft)
 Shallow concentrated flow
 Open channel flow
– Gutter
– Ditch
– Swale
– Creek
 Some combination of above

7
Examples
 Urban
– Sheet flow from back end of a residential lot
– Open channel flow once water drops over the
curb and into a gutter
 Rural
– Sheet flow in upper part of watershed
– Shallow concentrated flow as water forms rivulets
– Open channel flow (ditch/creek)

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Calculating Tc
 Calculate Tc for each type of flow and add
together

9
Sheet Flow

1. Manning’s Kinematic Solution

– See TR-55, pg 3-3 & equation 3-3
2. Kinematic Wave Equation
3. FAA Method
4. Nomograph
– See appendix C-2 of your book

10
Manning’s Kinematic
Solution
 Tt=[0.007(nL).8]/[P2.5 S.4]
 Tt is travel time (hrs)
 n-Manning’s coefficient for sheet flow
(dimensionless - must use Table 3-1 in TR-55)
 L is flow length (ft)
 P2 is 2-yr, 24-hr rainfall (in)
– TR-55 Appendix B, Figure B-3 or
– Local IDF curve (change intensity to inches)
 S is slope (decimal format)
11
Kinematic Wave Equation
 tco=[56(Lo).6 (n).6]/[So.3 i.4]
 tco is travel time (sec)
 n-Manning’s coefficient (dimensionless)
 Lo is overland flow length (ft)
 i is rainfall intensity for a desired frequency
(in/hr)
– TR-55 Appendix B (change inches to intensity) or
– Local IDF curve
 So is overland slope (decimal format)
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13
Kinematic Wave Equation
 Includes the rainfall intensity for a desired
frequency
 Must use iterative approach
1. Assume a rainfall intensity
2. Calculate travel time
3. Set storm duration = travel time
4. Look up intensity from IDF curve and compare to
assumed value
5. If intensity differs go back to step 1
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FAA Equation

 t=[1.8(1.1-C)(Lo).5 ]/[S.333]
 t is travel time (min)
 C-rational coefficient (dimensionless)
– See Appendix C-1 of your book
 Lo is overland flow length (ft)
 So is overland slope (decimal format)

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Nomograph

 Your book – C-2

– Length
– Ground character
 Paved
 Bare soil

 Poor, average or dense grass

– Percent slope

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Example

 Dense Grass (n=0.24, C=0.2)

 Flow Length (200 ft)
 Location (SUNYIT; 2-yr 24-hr duration)
 Slope (3%)

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Example: Manning’s
Kinematic Solution
 Tt=[0.007(nL).8]/[P2.5 S.4]
 Tt=[0.007(.24*200).8]/[2.5.5*.03 .4]
 n=.24
 L=200 ft
 P2 = 2.5 in (TR-55; Figure B-3)
 S = .03
 Tt=0.398 hours = 24 minutes
18
 Kinematic Wave- IDF Curve is
needed IDF Curve

9.0

2-year frequency
8.0

5-year frequency
7.0
10-year frequency
6.0
Rainfall Intensity (in/hour)

25-year frequency

5.0
50-year frequency

4.0 100-year frequency

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Storm Duration (m inutes)

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Example: Kinematic Wave
Equation
 tco=[56(Lo).6 (n).6]/[So.3 i.4]

 Assume 1-hr; 2-yr frequency (i=1”/hr)

 tco=[56(200).6 (.24).6]/[.03.3*1.4]
 tco=1640 seconds = 27 minutes
 Intensity for 30-min; 2-yr storm =1.6”/hr
 Intensities don’t match; try again

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Kinematic Wave-Trial/Error
(Tc=9 minutes)
Assumed I Time of Conc. Actual i

1 in/hr 28 minutes 1.6 in/hr

1.6 17 2.4

2.4 11 3.1

3.1 9 3.1
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Example: FAA Equation

 t=[1.8(1.1-C)(Lo).5 ]/[S.333]
 t=[1.8(1.1-.2)(200).5 ]/[.03.333]
 C=.2
 Lo=200 ft
 So = .03
 t = 41 min

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Example: Nomograph

From nomograph C-2

Concentration time = 21 minutes
– Length=200 ft
– Dense Grass
– Slope=3%
– Note: had to extend pivot line

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Example Results
 Man. Kinematic  24 minutes
 Kinematic Wave  9 minutes
 FAA  41 minutes
 Nomograph  21 minutes

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Shallow Concentrated
Flow
 TR-55
– page 3-2; Figure 3-1
– page 3-3; Explanation
– Appendix F - formulas
 Derived from Manning’s equation
 Determine average velocity (Fig 3-1)
 Divide flow length by average velocity
to obtain travel time
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26
Shallow Concentrated
Flow
 Equations
– Velocity=16.1345*S0.5 Unpaved
– Velocity=20.8282*S0.5 Paved

 Assumptions
– Unpaved: n=.05; hydraulic radius=0.4
– Paved: n=.025; hydraulic radius=0.2

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Open Channel Flow
 Manning’s Equation (TR-55, page 3-4)
 Calculate average velocity
 Divide flow length by average velocity
to obtain travel time

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Manning’s Equation

 Irish Engineer
 “On the Flow of Water in Open Channels
and Pipes” 1891
 Empirical equation
 See more:
– http://manning.sdsu.edu/\
– http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/elpubs/pdf/sr10.pdf#s
earch=%22manning%20irish%20engineer%22
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Uniform Flow in Open
Channels
 Water depth, flow area, discharge and
velocity distribution at all sections
throughout the entire channel reach
remains unchanged.
 The energy grade line, water surface
line, and the channel bottom lines are
all parallel to each other
 No acceleration (or deceleration)
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Manning’s Equation:
Flow---English
 Q=A(1.49/n)(Rh2/3)(S).5
 Q is flow rate (cfs)
 n-Manning’s coefficient (dimensionless)
 Rh is hydraulic radius (ft)
– Wetted area / wetted perimeter
 S is slope (decimal format)

31
Manning’s Equation:
Flow---Metric
 Q=A(1/n)(Rh2/3)(S).5
 Q is flow rate (cms)
 n-Manning’s coefficient (dimensionless)
 Rh is hydraulic radius (m)
– Wetted area / wetted perimeter
 S is slope (decimal format)

32
Manning’s Equation:
Velocity----English
 Divide both sides by area
 V=(1.49/n)(Rh2/3)(S).5
 V is velocity (fps)
 n-Manning’s coefficient (dimensionless)
 Rh is hydraulic radius (ft)
– Wetted area / wetted perimeter
 S is slope (decimal format)
33
Manning’s Equation:
Velocity-----Metric
 Divide both sides by area
 V=(1/n)(Rh2/3)(S).5
 V is velocity (meter/sec)
 n-Manning’s coefficient (dimensionless)
 Rh is hydraulic radius (m)
– Wetted area / wetted perimeter
 S is slope (decimal format)
34
Manning’s Coefficient
Typical Values

 Appendix A-1 from your book

 Other ref:
– http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/wsp2339.pdf
– http://www.lmnoeng.com/manningn.htm

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Hydraulic Radius

 Wetted area / wetted perimeter

 Easy to calculate for circular pipes full
or half-full
 Use trig to calculate triangular or
trapezoidal channels

36
37
Example-Find V

Find the velocity of a rectangular

channel 5’ wide w/ a 5% grade,
flowing 1’ deep. The channel has a
stone and weed bank (n=.035).
A=5 sf; WP=7’; Rh=0.714 ft
S=.05
V=7.6 fps
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Example-Find time

If velocity = 7.6 ft per second and

length of channel = 500 feet then time
traveled in channel =l/v=500/7.6=

Time travelled=66 seconds = 1.1 minutes

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Time of Concentration
Calculations
 For this class (homework, projects,
etc.) use worksheet from the
TR-55 Document
 Page D-3 (to print out blank form)
 Also show picture of lengths

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41
Next Lecture

 Rational Method for Determining Peak

Flow

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