CHAPTER FOUR

GRADUALLY VARIED FLOW IN OPEN CHANNELS

4.1. Basic Assumptions

4.2. Differential Equations of GVF
4.3. Classifications of Flow profiles
4.4. Some Features of Flow Profiles
4.5. Analysis of Flow Profiles
4.6. Simple Numerical Solutions of the GVF equations
 4.6.1. Direct-Step Method
 4.6.2. Standard –Step Method
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 Varied flow may be classified as either rapidly or gradually varied.
 The flow is rapidly varied if the depth changes abruptly over a short distance
 Examples are the hydraulic jump and the hydraulic drop.
 Gradually varied flow is a steady flow, whose depth varies gradually along the
channel.
 It is a steady non-uniform flow in a prismatic channel with gradual changes in its
water-surface elevation
 Example
The back water produced by a dam or weir across a river and
 The drawdown produced at a sudden drop in a channel
• In a GVF,
• the velocity varies along the channel and consequently
• the bed slope,
• water surface slope, and
• energy slope will all differ from each other.
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 4.1. Basic Assumptions Involved in the Analysis of GVF
1. The pressure distribution at any section is assumed to be hydrostatic.
 This follows from the definition of the flow to have a gradually-varied flow surface.
 As gradual changes in the surface of the curvature give rise to negligible normal
acceleration, the departure from the hydrostatic pressure distribution is negligible.
Thus in GVF,
 Slope of the channel is small.
 The bed slope, water surface slope and energy slope are all different.
 Hydrostatic normal acceleration =0
 The channel is prismatic channel and
 There is no lateral inflow or out flow from the channel.
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 The hydraulic flow characteristics remain constant in time.
2. The resistance to flow at any depth is assumed to be given by the corresponding uniform
flow equation.
• Manning’s formula, with the condition that the slope term to be used in the equation is
the energy slope and not the bed slope.
• Thus, in a GVF the depth of flow at a section is y, the energy slope Sf is given by:

• According to the assumption:

• The Manning’s formula can be used to evaluate the energy slope of GVF.
• In uniform flows the cross section through which water flow remains constant.
• Also the velocity remains the same, in magnitude and direction.
• In varied flow, the cross section changes in the flow direction, the water depth changes
along the length of the channel.
• Varied flow may be either steady or unsteady.
• Since unsteady uniform flow is rare, the term "unsteady flow” is used for unsteady varied
flow exclusively. 4
 4.2. General Equation or Dynamic Equation for Gradually varied flow
 The main forces involved in open channel flow are
 Inertia, gravity, hydrostatic force due to change in depth and friction.
 The first three forces represent the kinetic and potential energy,
 While the forth dissipates useful energy into the useless kinetic energy of turbulence and eventually into
heat due to action of viscosity.
 The total energy of an elementary volume of water is given as:

A schematic sketch of a gradually-

varied flow is shown in figure 4.1.
Schematic sketch of GVF

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•Since the water surface varies in the longitudinal (x) direction, the depth of flow and
total energy are functions of x.
•Differentiation the above equation with respect to x shows that:

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• This forms the basic differential equation of GVF and is also known as the dynamic
equation of GVF.
• If a value of the kinetic energy correction factor a greater than unity is to be used,

Other forms of GVF equation

a) If K= conveyance at any depth y and Ko = conveyance corresponding to the normal depth yo, then,

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The differential equation of GVF can be written as

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b.) If Qn represents the normal discharge at a depth yo and Qc denotes the critical discharge
at the same depth yc and Q is the given discharge of the GVF at a depth y.

and

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 4.3. Classification of Flow Profiles
•The water surface profile is a measure of how the flow depth changes longitudinally.
•The profiles are classified based on the relationship between the actual water depth (y),
the normal depth (yo) and the critical depth (yc).
•We use the following notation to designate different water surface profiles:
•A letter refers to the type of the channel bottom slope and a numeral to the relative
position of the profile with respect to
• the critical-depth line (here in after called CDL) and
• the normal-depth line (here in after called NDL).
•The critical depth and the normal depth are yc and yn=yo, respectively.
•Channel-bottom slopes are classified into the following five categories: mild, steep,
critical, horizontal (zero slope) and adverse (negative slope).
•The first letter of these names refers to the type, i.e., M for mild, S for steep, C for
critical, H for horizontal and A for adverse slope. 12
•For the specified discharge and Manning n, the bottom slope of a channel is called as

• Mild slope if the uniform flow is subcritical (i.e., yn > yc);

• Critical slope if the uniform flow is critical (i.e., yn = yc); and

• Steep slope if the uniform flow is supercritical (i.e., yn < yc).

•The normal depth is infinite if the bottom slope is horizontal and it is non existent if the
bottom slope is negative.

•Further, there are two cases where yo does not exist, i.e., when

• (a) the channel bed is horizontal, (S0 = 0),

• (b) when the channel has an adverse slope, (S0 is –ve).

•Based on the above, the channels are classified into five categories as indicated in Table 4.1.
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 For each of the five categories of channels, lines representing the critical depth and normal
depth (if it exists) can be drawn in the longitudinal section.
 These would divide the whole flow space into three regions as:
 Region 1: Space above the top most line
 Region 2: Space between top line and the next lower line
 Region 3: Space between the second line and the bed 14
 How to determine the surface profiles

•To determine the surface profiles of flow, two things must be determined for the channel and flow.
a. Whether the slope is mild, critical or steep, the normal and critical depths must be calculated for the
design discharge.
b. The positions of any control points must be established.

 Control points are points of known depth or relationship between depth and discharge.

 Example, weir, flumes, gates or points where it is known critical flow occurs like at free outfalls, or that
the flow is normal depth at some far distance downstream.

 Once these control points and depth positions has been established

 The surface profiles can be drawn to join the control points with the insertion of hydraulic jumps
where it is necessary to join sub and super critical flows that do not meet at a critical depth.
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Figure below shows these regions in the various categories of channels.

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• Depending upon the channel category and region of flow, the water surface profiles will have
characteristics shapes.
• Whether a given GVF profile will have an increasing or decreasing water depth in the direction of flow will
depend upon the term dy/dx in Equ. below being positive or negative.

• To assist in the determination of flow profiles in various regions, the behavior of dy/dx at certain key depths
is noted by studying Equ. above as follows:

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Back Water and Draw Down Curve

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Table 4.2. showing Gradually Varied Flow profiles

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 4. 4. SOME FEATURES OF FLOW PROFILES

A. M– Curves
•The most common of all GVF profiles is the M1 type, which is a subcritical flow condition.
•Obstructions to flow, such as weirs, dams, control structures and natural features, such as bends,
produce M1 backwater curves.

•General shapes of M curves are given in Fig. above Asymptotic behaviors of each curve will be examined
mathematically. 21
 1) M1 – Curve
•Water surface will be in Region 1 for a mild slope channel and the flow is obviously subcritical.
• Sf < So → Mild slope channel
• Y> yo > yc → Subcritical flow

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 •Asymptotic behavior of the water surface is;
 Water depth can be between (∞ > y > yo) for Region 1.
 The asymptotic behaviors of the water surface for the limit values (∞, yo) are;

Sf
So

 The most common of all GVF profiles is the M1 type, which is a subcritical flow condition.
 Obstructions to flow, such as weirs, dams, control structures and natural features, such as bends,
produce M1 backwater curves (Fig. above).
 These extend to several kilometers upstream before merging with the normal depth.
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 2) M2 – Curve
•The M2 profiles occur at a sudden drop of the channel, at constriction type of transitions and at the canal
outlet into pools.
•Water surface will be in Region 2 for a mild slope channel and the flow is obviously sub-critical.
•Sub critical y0 > y > yc

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 3) M3 – Curve
• Where a supercritical stream enters a mild-slope channel, the M3 type of profile occurs. Example the flow
leading from a spillway or a sluice gate to a mild slope.
• Therefore y0 > yc >0
•y < y0 →V>V0 → Se >S0 → (S0 – Se) < 0 and y < yc → Supercritical flow → Fr > → (1 – Fr 2 ) < 0

•Asymptotic behavior of the water surface is;

• The water surface meets the critical depth line vertically.

Compared to M1 and M2 profiles, M3 curves are of relatively short length.

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 B. S – Curves

Steep slope- if the uniform flow is supercritical (i.e., yo < yc).

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 1) S1- Curve
•The S1 profile is produced when the flow from a steep channel is terminated by a deep pool created by an
obstruction, such as weir or dam.
•At the beginning of the curve, the flow changes from the normal depth (super critical flow) to subcritical flow
through a hydraulic jump.
•The profiles extend downstream with a positive water-surface slope to reach a horizontal asymptote at the pool
elevation.

As Y approaches Yc, Fr=1, then

lim (dy/dx)= ∞/0= ∞.
Thus the water surface meets the critical
depth line vertically. 27
 2). S2 – Curve
• Profiles of the S2 type occur at the entrance region of a steep channel leading from a reservoir and at a break of grade
from mild slopes to steep slope. Generally S2 profiles are of short length.

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 3) S3 – Curve
 Water surface will be in Region 3 for a steep slope channel and the flow is supercritical. Generally, 0 < y < y0
 y < y0 → Se > S0 → (S0 – Se) < 0 and y < yc → Supercritical flow → Fr > 1 → (1 – Fr 2) < 0
 Free flow from a sluice gate with a steep slope
on its downstream is of the S3 type.
 The S3 curve also results when a flow exists
from a steeper slope to a less steep slope

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 C. C - Curves

C3

C1 and C3 curves are very rare and are highly unstable

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 D. H- Curves
•A horizontal channel can be considered as the lower limit reached by a mild slope as its bed
slope becomes flatter.
•It is obvious that there is no region 1 for a horizontal channel as yo=∞.
•The H2 and H3 profiles are similar to M2 and M3 profiles respectively.
•However, the H2 curve has a horizontal asymptote.

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 E. A-CURVES
•Adverse slopes are rather rare and A2 and A3 curves are similar to H2 and H3
curves respectively.
•The profiles are of very short length.

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Control Sections

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 4.5. ANALYSIS OF FLOW PROFILE

•It is the process of identification of possible flow profiles as a introduction to quantitative

computations.
•It is essentially a synthesis of the information about the GVF profiles and control sections.
•A channel carrying a gradually varied flow can in general contain different prismoidal-
channel sections of varying hydraulic properties.
•There can be a number of control sections of varying locations.

•To determine the resulting water-surface profile in a given case, one should be in a
position to analyze the effects of various channel sections and controls connected in series.

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 Break in Grades

See the figures presented below

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4.6. GVF Computations

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 Quiz 10%
1. Mention at least three factors affecting manning roughness, n.

2. Discuss about hydraulic Efficient Channel Section.

3. What is the value of R for wide shallow channel and narrow deep
channel.

4. What does permissible velocity mean during the design of irrigation

canals?

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