1.   Purpose and objectives

     Basic Hydraulic Principles of Open-Channel Flow is a text designed to present the principles of open-channel flow which are of most concern to surface water hydrologists involved in the collection of water resources information. It is designed for use by those who have little or no background in the principles of basic hydraulics and fluid mechanics, and hydrologists who need a review of these basic concepts. Students should have a working knowledge of algebra and some background in basic physics.

2.   Description

     The text (Jobson & Froehlich, 1988) is designed so that it can be covered by a one week course which combines lectures and class problems in the study of basic open-channel flow. Specifically, subject matter includes forces on submerged objects, similitude, velocity profiles, resistance, the 
momentum principle, roughness coefficients, energy losses, backwater computations, and flow through culverts, flow over dams, and flow through weirs. The text is divided into 18 lessons, each designed to be covered by one hour of lecture and one or two hours of problem solution.

     The text and course are designed to be self contained and no other references or information is required.

     Each lesson contains a set of problems to be worked by the student based on the information in the lessons presented up to that time. Answers to the problems are contained in the back of the text.

3.   Input

     Not applicable.

4.   Output

     Not applicable.

5.   Operational requirements and restrictions

     The course can be self taught or presented by an instructor with the aid of a black board.

6.   Form of presentation

     All material is presented in English. The text for the course is USGS Open-File Report 88-707.

7.   Operational experience

     The class has been presented at least twice a year to Geological Survey employees and others for more than 10 years.

8.   Originator and technical support

     U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Surface Water.

 
9.   Availability

     From the HOMS National Reference Centre for the United States.

10.  Conditions on use

     None.

Reference:

Basic Hydraulic Principles of Open-Channel Flow, by Harvey E. Jobson and David C. Froehlich U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 88-707 Reston, Virginia 22092 1988, 150 pages

Also available from: Water Resources Publications P.O. Box 2841, Littleton, Colorado 80161-2841 (USA)