In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious the Most Merciful
Irrigation Engineering (CE-463)
Diversion Headworks and Vertical Fall Weir
Dr Nadir Asst. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Amjad
Course Outline
♣ Introduction and Scope
♣ Indus Basin Irrigation System
♣ Types and Methods of Irrigation
♣ Water Requirement of Crops – Soil Water, Frequency, Duty, Delta
♣ Water Requirement of Crops – Consumptive Use
♣ Canal Irrigation
♣ Design of an Alluvial Canal – Kennedy and Lacey Theories
♣ Design of Non-alluvial Canal
♣ Diversion Head Works
♣ Hydraulic Design of a Vertical Fall Weir
♣ Barrage Design
♣ Khosla Theory
♣ Canal Lining: Modern Concepts
♣ Canal Operation & Control
♣ Water Management: Modern Concepts
Headworks
Headwork is a structure constructed across a river for the purpose of raising
the water level in the river so that it can be diverted into the off taking
canals.
Storage Headwork Diversion Headwork
▪ Comprises the construction of a dam Serves to divert the required supply
across a river into the canal from river
▪ Stores water during excess supplies &
releases during demand
Functions of Diversion Headwork
▪ Raises the water level in the river
▪ Regulates the intake of water into the canal
▪ Controls the silt entry into the canal
▪ Reduces fluctuations in supply level of river
▪ Stores water for tiding over small periods of short supplies
Components of Diversion Headworks
Components of Diversion Headworks
▪ Weir (or barrage) proper
▪ Under sluice
▪ Divide wall
▪ Fish ladder
▪ Control head regulator
▪ Silt excluder, silt ejector
▪ River training works: guide banks, marginal bunds
Components of Diversion Headworks
1. Weir or Barrage: Solid obstruction put across the river to raise water level upstream
& divert it into the off-taking canal
Weir: Solid obstruction across the river to raise water level
Barrage: Function of barrage is same as weir, but the heading of water due to gates
Components of Diversion Headworks
2. Divide Wall / Divide Groyne: Built at right angle to the axis of main weir & under sluices
or pocket portion to separate the floors of main weir & under sluices to prevent turbulence
by preventing cross-currents & ensuring flow in straight approach channel through the
pocket. It also provides a comparatively still pocket in front of canal head regulator, which
helps in depositing silt in the pocket & entry of relatively clear water into the canal
3. Fish Ladder: Constructed along divide wall which helps in migrating fish move upstream
or downstream within the river
4. Pocket or Approach Channel: Pocket portion is constructed in front of the scouring
sluices by keeping the floor level of the pocket portion lower than the floor level of main
weir, which helps in depositing silt in a comparatively still pocket.
5. Scouring Sluices / Under Sluices: They control silt entry into the canal in addition of
scouring of silt deposited in the riverbed above the approach channel i.e., pocket portion
Components of Diversion Headworks
6. Canal Head Regulator: A structure constructed at the head of canal taking off
upstream/behind of a weir to regulate the water supply in canal in addition of controlling silt
entry into the canal especially during floods
7. River Training Works (Guide Banks, Marginal Bunds / Levees): Works constructed to direct
& guide the river flow. Guide banks are made for guiding the stream near a weir to confine it
in a reasonable width of the river, while marginal bunds or levees are earthen dikes
constructed roughly parallel to the river to handle the increased water surface elevation of the
river due to backwater effect of the weir or due to flood, to safeguard the property, etc.
8. Silt Prevention Devices (Silt Excluder, Silt Extractor / Ejector): Silt excluder is constructed in
the riverbed in front of canal head regulator, by which silt is excluded from the water which is
entering into the canal through canal head regulator. While silt extractor/ejector is constructed
in the canal to extract/eject/thrown out the silt after it has entered the canal.
Components of a Diversion Headwork
Bligh’s Creep Theory
Assumptions
1. Hydraulic slope or gradient is constant throughout the impervious length
of the apron i.e., impervious floor
2. The percolating water creeps along the contact of the base profile of the
apron with the sub-soil, losing head enroute, proportional to length of its
travel called Creep Length. It is the sum of horizontal & vertical creep
3. Stoppage of percolation by cut off (i.e., sheet pile) possible only if it
extends up to impermeable soil strata
Considerations
▪ For portion of floor upstream of barrier only nominal thickness needs to
be provided since the weight of water will counterbalance the uplift
pressure.
▪ A certain minimum length of impervious floor is always necessary to the
downstream of the barrier (thickness of downstream floor for worst
conditions).
Bligh’s Creep Theory
For the case of Fig 12.6 b, the total creep length is:
L = 2d1 + l + 2d2
If H is the total loss of head, the loss of head per unit
length of creep (c) would be:
𝑯 𝑯
c= =
𝟐 𝒅𝟏 +𝒍+𝟐𝒅𝟐 𝑳
He called c as “percolation coefficient” and
reciprocal of it (i.e., L/H) is called as
“Coefficient of Creep” (C).
Bligh’s Creep Theory
Where ω = unit weight of water
Bligh’s Creep Theory
Limitations
▪ No distinction between horizontal & vertical creep
▪ Holds good if horizontal distance between piles is greater than twice their depth
▪ Does not explain the idea of exit gradient - safety against undermining cannot simply be
obtained by considering a flat average gradient but by keeping this gradient well below
critical
▪ No distinction between outer & inner faces of sheet piles or the intermediate sheet
piles, whereas from investigation the outer faces of the end sheet piles are much more
effective than inner ones
▪ Loss of head does not take place in the same proportions as the creep length. Also, the
uplift pressure distribution is not linear but follows a sine curve
▪ Does not specify the absolute necessity of providing sheet pile at d/s, whereas it is
essential to prevent undermining
Bligh’s Creep Theory (Example)
Note: Specific gravity of floor material is 2.24, and
Specific weight of water is 1 ton/m3
Solve it using Bligh’s Creep Theory
Bligh’s Creep Theory (Example)
Bligh’s Creep Theory (Example)
Bligh’s Creep Theory (Example)
Types of Weir
Depending upon Floor Design Criteria
Gravity Weir: Uplift pressure is resisted entirely by weight of wall.
Non-Gravity Weir: Uplift pressure is resisted by bending action of reinforced concrete floor.
Depending upon Materials Used
Masonry weir with vertical drop consists of a masonry wall with either both u/s and d/s
faces vertical or both faces inclined or only u/s face inclined. It has an impervious
horizontal floor or apron. Cutoff walls are provided at both u/s and d/s ends of the floor as
shown in figure.
Rock fill weir with sloping apron consists of a masonry wall and dry pack boulder laid in
the form of slope (i.e., 1:20 at d/s and 1:4 at u/s) with weir wall at middle and few
intervening core walls. The d/s slope is generally made very flat. It requires very large
quantity of stone and would be economical only where stone is available in abundance in
proximity.
Concrete weir with d/s glacis: sheet piles of sufficient depths are provided at u/s and d/s
ends of the floor. Intermediate piles are also provided in some cases.
Vertical Drop Weir
Vertical Drop Weir
Vertical Drop Weir
Vertical Drop Weir
Vertical Drop Weir
Vertical Drop Weir
Vertical Drop Weir (Example)
Vertical Drop Weir (Example)
Vertical Drop Weir (Example)