Engineering Commons^™

Locating Low Head Dams Using A Deep Learning Model In Arcgis Pro With Aerial Imagery, Caitlin R. Arnold

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Low Head Dams are man-made structures that span the width of a river and allow water to flow over them. Although these structures vary in age and original purpose, some pose a life-threatening danger when recreationalists are entrapped in the reverse current at the toe. Despite these dangerous structures causing many drowning deaths in the USA each year, most low head dams do not have safety regulations and remain unknown to those charged with dam and public safety. Thus, to improve public safety at these structures, the first step is to fully inventory low head dams, so that subsequent efforts …

Laboratory Modelling Of The Various Components Of Backward Erosion Piping Behavior Due To Converging Flow With Different Constricted Outlets, Ibrahim Ahmed Abdelmotelb Ibrahim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Backward Erosion Piping (BEP) is an internal erosion mechanism which occurs at the down stream of dams or levees. Two conditions needed for this failure to occur: 1) head of water in the upstream of the dam or the levee to drive the seepage forces, and 2) crack in the roof or the blanket layer of the cohesionless material in the downstream of the dam or a levee. Numerous researches were performed in the past in an attempt to predict the critical gradient for BEP to initiate. Some researches are too conservative and other researches are under predicting the critical …

Air Vent Sizing In Low-Level Outlet Works For Small- To Medium-Sized Dams, Nathan W. Wright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The majority of dams contain low-level outlet works, which typically consist of closed conduits that run through the dam, and are used to release water from the reservoir when the water level is below the level of the surface spillways. It is also used to flush the reservoir of sediments and to control the elevation of the reservoir. Low-level outlet works typically consist of a gate that controls the flow within a closed conduit that runs through the dam and an air vent that supplies air behind the gate. In the absence of properly designed air vents, negative pressures may …

Air Demand In Low-Level Outlet Works, Jason Arthur Larchar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most dams have a low-level outlet that consists of a closed conduit through the dam with a slide gate or valve to regulate flow. These outlets are used mainly for irrigational purposes but also for flushing the reservoir and controlling the reservoir elevation. When discharging through the low-level outlet works, negative pressures can develop on the downstream side of the gate creating a potential for cavitation damage and vibration. To minimize these effects, air vents (vented to the atmosphere) are installed on the downstream side of the gate to limit downstream pressure to something above vapor pressure (i.e., near atmospheric …

Design And Evaluation Of Stepped Spillways For High Dams, Jeffrey Scott Rau

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to investigate the hydraulic performance of stepped spillways. A thorough investigation was made of all printed material on stepped spillways, and a summary of this material is presented in the text. Data from experiments in the laboratory were used to develop a design procedure for stepped spillways and hydraulic jump stilling basins. The experimental study was conducted at Utah State University - Utah Water Research Laboratory in Logan, Utah. Four models were built and tested in the laboratory under various flowrates.

The crest of the model spillway was constructed in the shape of a …