CVNG 2005 – MECHANICS OF FLUIDS II –

EXPERIMENT 2: BROAD CRESTED WEIR

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES,

ST. AUGUSTINE.
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Kirk Woo Chong

809003758
Group: J
Table of Contents
OBJECTIVES.....................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................3

PROCEDURE....................................................................................................................3

Equipment......................................................................................................................3

Method...........................................................................................................................4

THEORY............................................................................................................................4

RESULTS..........................................................................................................................6

SAMPLE CALCULATIONS...............................................................................................7

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS...............................................................10

Froude Number at Broad Crested Weir Edge..............................................................10

Magnitude of Flow Rate and Effect on Discharge Coefficient C d................................10

Relationship Between Cd and Flow Rate.....................................................................10

Magnitude of Flow Rate and Effect on Velocity Coefficient C v....................................10

Relationship Between Cv and Flow Rate......................................................................10

Pattern of Water Over Weir..........................................................................................11

Errors & Precautions....................................................................................................13

CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................13

REFERENCES................................................................................................................13
OBJECTIVES

I. To determine characteristics of the flow over broad crested weir at various

discharge.
II. To calibrate the broad crested weir for a free flowing condition.

INTRODUCTION

A weir is commonly used in open channels for controlling upstream water levels
and measuring discharge. For both tasks it acts as an obstruction which promotes a
condition of minimum specific energy in sub critical flow. When used for the latter
purpose all weirs must be calibrated because theoretical predictions of discharge are
rendered inadequate by the effects of viscosity and the variations of flow geometry with
upstream depth. Broad crested weirs are generally constructed from reinforced
concrete and are widely used for flow measurement and regulation of water depth in
rivers, canals and other natural open channels.

PROCEDURE

Equipment
o A 305 mm rectangular flume with broad crested weir
o A gauge with graduated vernier scale
o Measuring tank with scale
o Stopwatch
Method
1. The flow rate was adjusted to give the required head of water over the weir to
allow steady conditions to develop.
2. The vernier scale was read when the tip of the gauge just pierced the water
surface upstream of the weir. The difference between this reading and the
reading obtained when the tip just touched the crest of the wave was the head of
water over the weir.
3. The vernier scale was read when the tip of the gauge just pierced the water
surface at the weir crest edge elevation. The difference between this reading and
the reading obtained when the tip just touches the crest of the weir was the
critical depth
4. The vernier scale was used to measure the water depth on the downstream side
of the crest of the weir.
5. The profile of the nappe on the crest of the weir was investigated for various
discharges.
6. The discharge was measured by noting the time taken to fill a known mass.
7. The process was repeated for six different head and discharge readings.

THEORY
A weir in general can take on many shapes, however broad crested weirs
operate more effectively than their sharp crested counterparts under higher downstream
water levels, and can be used to measure the discharge of rivers since the parallel flow
caused by the weir allows it to be accurately analyzed by the use of energy principles
and critical depth relationships.
It works on the principle that subcritical flow upstream of the weir moves over the
obstruction and this height of the weir causes critical flow, accelerating the liquid which
then transitions into supercritical nappe after the weir is crossed downstream. This
critical depth required to cause critical flow is not easily measured because its exact
location is not easy to determine and may vary with flow rate. However, the upstream
depth can be used to determine the flow rate through mass conservation which is a
more reliable measurement.
 Experimentally, broad crested weirs can be used as a flow rate-measuring device
and has the advantage that it is simple to construct and has no edge that can wear and
thus alter the coefficient.
1.5
2
Using Bernoulli’s equation, it can be derived that Q=1.705 B [( ) ]
v1
2g
+H1 .

Furthermore, the discharge is related to a coefficient of discharge for the weir, C d,

defined by the equationQ=Cd Cv ( 23 ) B √ 23g H 32 .

1

FIGURE 1
 GRAPH 3

RESULTS

Run Upstream Depth, Critical Depth, Downstream Depth,

Number Du / m Dc / m Dd / m H1 / m
0.126
1 0.1300 0.0036 0.0107 5
0.148
2 0.1687 0.0201 0.0193 6
0.153
3 0.1811 0.0274 0.0239 7
0.159
4 0.1935 0.0343 0.0330 3
0.164
5 0.2057 0.0417 0.0361 1
0.167
6 0.2184 0.0513 0.0447 1
Table 1 showing the various depths associated witht the weir

Upstream Critical
Run Average Mass Volume Discharge / Velocity, vu / Velocity, vc /
Number Time / s / kg / m3 m3s-1 ms-1 ms-1
1 31.31 50 0.05 0.0016 0.0403 0.1868
2 13.68 100 0.10 0.0073 0.1422 0.4437
3 9.60 100 0.10 0.0104 0.1887 0.5188
4 7.41 100 0.10 0.0135 0.2288 0.5800
5 6.40 100 0.10 0.0156 0.2492 0.6393
6 4.57 100 0.10 0.0219 0.3290 0.7095
Table 2 showing calcuated data for the weir

Critical Froude
Run Total Energy Ideal Discharge / Number
Number Head, ET / J m3s-1 Cd Cv
0.068 1.00
1 0.1106 0.0234 2 1 7.889
0.243 1.01
2 0.0728 0.0301 0 0 2.694
3 0.0791 0.0319 0.326 1.01 2.402
 9 8
0.398 1.02
4 0.0850 0.0339 5 5 2.226
0.439 1.02
5 0.0772 0.0355 6 9 1.925
0.587 1.05
6 0.1000 0.0373 6 0 1.974
Table 3 showing weir data specifics

SAMPLE CALCULATIONS
All readings for distance were taken in inches so a conversion factor of 0.0254 was
used to convert it to meters.

Height of entire channel, Dch = 0.0732 m

Height of channel from crest of weir = 0.1765 m
Width of weir = 0.3048m

(Note: the Vernier scale was in reverse, therefore the smaller the reading, the greater
the actual depth)

Upstream Depth = Upstream height – Total channel height

= 0.2032 – 0.0732 = 0.1300 m

Critical Depth = Crest height – Height of channel from crest of weir

= 0.1801 – 0.1765 = 0.0036 m

Volume of Water, V
Mass Mass
Density = Volume =
Volume Density
50
V= =¿0.05m3
1000

H1 = Upstream depth – Critical depth

 = 0.1300 – 0.0036 = 0.1265 m

Volume
Actual Discharge, Qa =
Time
0.05
= = 0.0016 m3s-1
31.31

Upstream velocity, v1
Q
Q= A v 1 v1 =
A
0.00 16
v1 = = 0.0396 ms-1
(0.1 300 x 0. 30 48)

Critical Velocity, Vc
Q
Q= A v 1 Vc =
Ac
0.00 16
Vc = = 1.473 ms-1
(0.0 036 x 0.3048)

3
v2
Ideal Discharge, Qt = 1.705 B 1 + H 1
2g [ ] 2

3
0.0396 2
= 1.705(0.3048)
[
19.62
+0. 1265 ] 2
= 0.0234 m3s-1
 Qa
Co-efficient of Discharge, Cd =
Qt
0.00 16
= = 0.0682
0.0 234

3
2 2g
Velocity Co-efficient, Cv Q = Cd Cv B
3 3 √
H12

3 3
2 2g 19.62
Cv = Q/ Cd B
3 (
3 √ ) (
H 1 2 = 0.0016 ¿ 0.0682 x 0.67 x 0.3 048
3
x 0.1265 2
√ )
= 1.001

vc
Froude Number, Fr =
√ g Dc
1.473
= = 7.889
√ 9.81 x 0.0 036

Total Energy Head, Ec –

v c2
Ec¿ [ ]
2g

1.4732
= [ 19.62 ] = 0.1106 J
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

Froude Number at Broad Crested Weir Edge

The Froude numbers calculated at the edge of the broad crested weir i.e. the
critical Froude numbers fell well out of the expected range. Since the flow upstream of
the weir was subcritical and the flow at the edge of the weir theoretically is supposed to
be critical, a value close to 1 was expected. However, the critical Froude numbers
obtained ranged from 1.974 to 7.889. This may have been due to erroneous
measurement or calculation. The only sense that could be made of these very high
Froude numbers is that the liquid achieved a very high velocity hence a high energy
(both total and specific).

Magnitude of Flow Rate and Effect on Discharge Coefficient Cd

It was found that as the magnitude of the flow rate increased, so did the
discharge coefficient. This may have been due to the shape of the weir which had a
rectangular control section. Since the height of the water increased with increased flow,
more friction lossed may have occurred.

Relationship Between Cd and Flow Rate

Experimental data showed that Cd increased with increasing flow rate.
Magnitude of Flow Rate and Effect on Velocity Coefficient Cv
It was found that as the magnitude of the flow rate increased, so did the velocity
coefficient.

Relationship Between Cv and Flow Rate

Experimental data showed that Cv increased with increasing flow rate.

Pattern of Water Over Weir

Test no.1

Test no.2
Test no.3

Test no.4

Test no.5
Test no.6

Errors & Precautions

 Error due to parallax in reading the vernier scale and tank.
 The flow may not have been fully stabilized when the readings were taken.
 Reaction time error when using the stopwatch.
 It was assumed that the density was for pure water however it should be noted
the water in the experiment was brown indicating it may have contained other
substances and impurities which may have caused erroneous momentum and
energy values.

CONCLUSION
Within the limits of experimental error, it was found that both the discharge and
velocity coefficient are directly influenced by the flow rate. Also, nappe patterns of flow
were observed.
REFERENCES
 Borthwick, M., Chadwick, A., Morfett, J. 2004. Hydraulics in Civil and
Environmental Engineering. Taylor & Francis.
 Massey, Bernard. 2006. Mechanics of Fluids. Taylor & Francis