Hydraulic Performance of Culvert End Sections Designed for Collision Safety

by Jeffrey A. Bartley, Univ of Kansas, Lawrence, United States,
Bruce M. McEnroe, Univ of Kansas, Lawrence, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Hydraulic Engineering

Abstract:

A type of end section for pipe culverts that was designed for collision safety has some favorable hydraulic characteristics. These safety end sections are long and narrow with large steel bars across their openings. Hydraulic model studies indicate that a pipe culvert with a safety end section will flow full whenever its inlet is submerged, regardless of the tailwater depth or the length of the culvert. In situations where a culvert with a standard end section would not flow full, a safety end section would provide superior hydraulic performance. Entrance-loss coefficients for the safety end sections range from 0.6 to 0.8 at full flow. A simple dimensionless relationship describes the hydraulic performance of the safety end sections under inlet control. Safety end sections can be installed on existing highway culverts to meet collision-safety criteria without significantly reducing their hydraulic capacities.

Subject Headings: Culverts | Traffic accidents | Safety | Hydraulic design | Traffic safety | Hydraulic models | Structural safety

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