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Explicit solutions for critical and normal depths

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Article in Flow Measurement and Instrumentation March 2011

DOI: 10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2010.12.003

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 Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 22 (2011) 4349

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Flow Measurement and Instrumentation

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/flowmeasinst

Explicit solutions for critical and normal depths in channels with different shapes
Ali R. Vatankhah a, , Said M. Easa b
a
Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 4111, Karaj, 31587-77871, Iran
b
Department of Civil Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada M5B 2K3

article info abstract

Article history: Critical and normal depths are important for computing gradually varied flow profiles and for the design,
Received 19 August 2010 operation, and maintenance of open channels. A closed-form analytical equation for the normal depth
Received in revised form computation can only be derived for triangular channels. For exponential channels, it is also possible to
1 November 2010
obtain such equations for the critical depth. This is not possible, however, for other geometries, such as
Accepted 12 December 2010
trapezoidal, circular, and horseshoe channels. In these channels, the governing equations are implicit and
thus the use of trial procedures, numerical methods, and graphical tools is common. Some channels have
Keywords:
Critical and normal depths
explicit solutions for the critical and normal depths, while others do not. This paper presents new and
Open channels flow improved explicit regression-based equations for the critical and normal depths of open channels with
Explicit equations different shapes. A comparison of the proposed and existing equations is also presented. The proposed
equations are simple, have a maximum error of less than 1%, and are well-suited for manual calculations
and computer programming.
2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction numerical and graphical methods, or explicit regression-based

The critical and normal depths play a major role in the design,
operation, and maintenance of open channels [1]. The critical
depth is a quantity of fundamental importance to understanding
the flow characteristics in open channels. If the actual depth is
less than the critical depth, the flow is considered supercritical,
which is fast-flow and is impacted by the upstream conditions.
If the actual depth is greater than the critical depth, the flow
is considered subcritical, which is slow-flow and is impacted by
the downstream conditions [2,3]. The occurrence of the critical
depth at the upstream end of a reach under supercritical flow
conditions or at the downstream end of a reach under subcritical
flow conditions provides a control section for gradually varied flow
computations [4].
The normal depth occurs in a steady uniform flow for a given
channel geometry, slope, and roughness, and a specified value of
the discharge. The normal depth is an important parameter for the
hydraulic design of open channels and has ramifications for flood
prediction. It is also important to control and make efficient use of
such channels.
For circular, trapezoidal, and horseshoe channels, the governing
equations for the critical and normal depths are implicit and
no analytical solutions exist. For these channels the critical
and normal depths are presently obtained by trial procedures,
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: arvatan@ut.ac.ir, alireza_vatankhah@yahoo.com
(A.R. Vatankhah), seasa@ryerson.ca (S.M. Easa).
equations. Specifically for the critical depth, explicit equations are
available for only trapezoidal [47] and circular channels [4,8,9],
but not for horseshoe channels. For the normal depth, explicit
equations are available for only rectangular [1013] and horseshoe
channels [14,15], but not for trapezoidal or circular channels.
In this paper, explicit solutions for the critical and normal
depths are presented for trapezoidal, circular, and horseshoe
channels using the curve fitting method. The proposed equations
either fill the current gap or improve upon existing equations in
terms of accuracy and simplicity. A comparison of the accuracy
of the proposed and existing solutions is also presented. Before
presenting the derivation of these explicit equations, it is necessary
to describe the geometric properties of the channel cross sections.
2. Geometric properties
2.1. Trapezoidal channels
Considering Fig. 1 for a trapezoidal channel section, the
applicable equations are as follows
A = (b + zy)y (1)
P = b + 2y 1 + z 2 (2)
T = b + 2zy (3)
where A is cross section area, b is bed width, z is horizontal distance
corresponding to 1 m vertical distance (side slope of the channel),
y is flow depth, P is wetted perimeter, and T is width of the channel
at the water surface.

0955-5986/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2010.12.003
44 A.R. Vatankhah, S.M. Easa / Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 22 (2011) 4349

Notations
A Cross section area
a, b, and c Coefficients
b Bed width
D Channel diameter
g Gravitational acceleration
H Height of the conduit
n Mannings roughness coefficient
P Wetted perimeter Fig. 1. Cross section of a trapezoidal channel.
Q Discharge
R, r Circle radius
sin() Longitudinal slope of the channel
S0 Longitudinal slope of the channel
t = R/r A characteristic parameter
T Width of the channel at the water surface
y Flow depth
yn Normal flow depth
z Side slope of the channel
Energy correction factor
Unit conversion constant
Water surface angle in radians
= y/D Dimensionless depth
c = Q 2 /[gD5 cos( )] Dimensionless discharge for critical
depth computations (circular cross section)
h = Q 2 /[gH 5 cos( )] Dimensionless discharge for critical Fig. 2. Cross section of a partially filled pipe channel.
depth computations (standard horseshoe cross
section) 2.2. Circular channels
t = z 3 Q 2 /[gb5 cos( )] Dimensionless discharge for criti-
cal depth computations (trapezoidal cross section) For a partially filled circular channel section, shown in Fig. 2, the
c = 2 cos1 (1 2cc ) For critical depth computations geometric elements are as follows
n = 2 cos1 (1 2nc ) For normal depth computations
D2
c = nQ /(D8/3 S0 ) Dimensionless discharge for normal A= ( sin ) (4)
depth computations (circular cross section) 8

h = nQ /(H 8/3 S0 ) Dimensionless discharge for normal 1
depth computations (standard horseshoe cross P = D (5)
2
section)
r = nQ /(b8/3 S0 ) Dimensionless discharge for normal T = D sin (6)
2
depth computations
(rectangular cross section)
t = nQ /(b8/3 S0 ) Dimensionless discharge for normal = 2 cos1 (1 2) (7)
depth computations (trapezoidal cross section) where D is channel diameter, is water surface angle in radians,
cc = yc /D Dimensionless critical depth (circular cross sec- and = y/D.
tion)
ch = yc /H Dimensionless critical depth (standard horse- 2.3. Standard horseshoe channels
shoe cross section)
ct = zyc /b Dimensionless critical depth (trapezoidal cross A horseshoe cross section, shown in Fig. 3, consists of four arc
section) segments: a top arc (BC ) with radius r, a bottom arc (AD) with
nc = yn /D Dimensionless normal depth (circular cross radius R, and two lateral arcs (AB and DC ) with the same radius
section) R but with different circular centers [14]. Horseshoe cross sections
nh = yn /H Dimensionless normal depth (standard horse- can be classified using the characteristic parameter t = R/r. For
shoe cross section) t = 3 and t = 2, the cross sections are called standard Type I and
nr = yn /b Dimensionless normal depth (rectangular cross Type II horseshoe cross sections, respectively [14]. Note that when
section) t = 1, the horseshoe cross section becomes circular.
nt = yn /b Dimensionless normal depth (trapezoidal cross Fig. 3 shows a general horseshoe cross section and the
section) corresponding geometric symbols for three ranges of water depths
(y): (a) 0 y e, (b) e y r, and (c) r y 2r, where e is
Subscripts the height of the bottom arc, which is given by e = 0.12917r ( =
0.294515 rad) for Type I, and e = 0.17712r ( = 0.424031 rad)
c and n Denote critical and uniform flow conditions, respec- for Type II cross sections, respectively [15].
tively The required formulae for computing the geometric elements
c Denotes circular cross section of standard horseshoe cross sections (wetted perimeter and flow
h Denotes standard horseshoe cross section area) for the three zones of flow depth were presented in [15].
r Denotes rectangular cross section These formulae are presented in Table 1. In addition, formulae for
t Denote trapezoidal cross section computing the width of the channel at the water surface, which
I and II Denote Type I and Type II, respectively are needed for developing the critical depth equation, are derived
in this study and are presented in the table.
 A.R. Vatankhah, S.M. Easa / Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 22 (2011) 4349 45

Fig. 3. Horseshoe cross section and its geometric symbols for three zones of flow depth: (a) 0 y e; (b) e y r; and (c) r y 2r = H.

Table 1
Formulae for computing geometric elements for three zones of flow depth of a horseshoe cross section.
Zones of flow depth

0 y e or 0 ey H
2
or 0 H
2
y H or 0

t 2 t 2
= cos1 t
= sin1 t
= 2 cos1 (2 1)

2(t 1)
1 2
1
sin(2) 1 2 2
C 1
sin(2) + sin(2) A = 14 H 2 Ct 2 + 12 ( + sin())
2

A= 4
t H 2
A= 4
t H 2 t

P = tH P = tH (2 ) P = H2 (4t + )

T = tH sin() T = H [1 t + t cos()] T = H sin 2
Note: C = 2 + 1 sin(2) cos(2), H = 2r = height of the tunnel and = y/H.

3. Computation of critical depth (governing equation) about 2.5%. In such a case, the advantage of the presented equations
over his previous regression-based equation is rather questionable.
The critical flow condition in an open channel is described by Based on the infinite series presented by Swamee and Rathie [7],
the following relationship [16] Srivastava [10] found that a fitted series would be more accurate
than a truncated one.
Q 2 T To further develop an improved explicit solution in the current
=1 (8)
g cos( ) A3 study, Eq. (9) is first numerically inverted using the curve fitting
method as follows
where is the energy correction factor, sin( ) is the longitudinal 1/3
slope of the channel, and g is gravitational acceleration. Most of ct = t (1 + atb )c (10)
the channels have slopes smaller than 1/100, thus it is reasonable where a, b, and c are coefficients. To determine these coefficients,
to assume cos( ) 1 for these channels. Using Eq. (8), explicit the percentage error (PE) of the dimensionless critical depth, ct , is
equations for the critical depth are derived next for trapezoidal, expressed as follows
circular, and horseshoe channels.
ct F (ct )1/3 (1 + aF (ct )b )c

PE = 100 (11)
3.1. Trapezoidal channels ct
in which the dimensionless function F (ct ) is determined using
Substituting for A and T from Eqs. (1) and (3) into Eq. (8) yields the geometry of the trapezoidal cross section according to Eq. (9).
the following dimensionless form Then, the sum of the squares of the PE values is minimized
as an objective function using the Solver toolbox of Microsoft
ct3 (1 + ct )3 Excel. The resulting explicit equation in the practical range of the
t = F (ct ) = (9)
1 + 2ct dimensionless normal depth, 0 ct 3, is given by
1/3
where t and ct are dimensionless variables with t = z 3 Q 2 / ct = t (1 + 1.1524t0.347 )0.339
[gb5 cos( )] and ct = zyc /b, and the subscripts c and t denote (proposed-trapezoidal channels). (12)
critical flow conditions and the trapezoidal section, respectively.
The maximum error involved in Eq. (12) is less than 0.06% in
Using the curve fitting method, Swamee [4] obtained an explicit
the practical range of 0 ct 3. A summary of the existing
solution for Eq. (9). The maximum error of that solution is less
explicit solutions of the critical depth for trapezoidal channels and
than 2.2% in the practical range of 0 ct 3. Vatankhah and
their maximum errors is shown in Table 2. As noted, the proposed
Kouchakzadeh [5] improved Swamees solution by developing a solution is preferable to other solutions in terms of both accuracy
similar equation that has a maximum error less than 0.28% in and simplicity.
the practical range of 0 ct 15. Using the fixed point itera-
tion method, Wang [6] obtained a very accurate but complicated
3.2. Circular channels
solution for the critical depth of trapezoidal sections. Subse-
quently, Swamee and Rathie [7] obtained analytical solutions of Substituting for A and T from Eqs. (4) and (6) into Eq. (8) yields
the critical depth for trapezoidal sections in the form of converging the following dimensionless form
infinite series, based on Lagranges inversion theorem. When the
number of terms in the proposed series is limited to 45 for prac- (c sin c )3
c = h1 (cc ) = c (13)
tical cases, the maximum relative error involved in the solution is 83 sin 2
46 A.R. Vatankhah, S.M. Easa / Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 22 (2011) 4349

Table 2
Summary of proposed and existing explicit equations for critical depth in trapezoidal and circular channels.
Equation reference Proposed formulae Application range Maximum relative error (%)

Trapezoidal channels

Swamee [4] ct = (t0.7 + 0.747t0.42 )0.476 0 ct 3 2.20

[ 1/2 ]
1/3 1/3 1/3 1/3

Wang [6] ct = 12 1 + 1 + 4t {1 + 4t [1 + 4t (1 + 4t )1/5 ]1/6 }1/6 None 0.015

0.4P 1/P
[ ]
1/3 1/3

Vatankhah and ct = t 1 + t / 2 P = 2.129t0.01565 0 ct 15 0.28
Kouchakzadeh [5]
1/3 2/3
ct = t 0.33662 t + 0.13529t1.075 0 ct 0.347 0.021
Srivastava [10]
ct1 = (2t )0.2 + 0.37913t0.4 + 0.071776t0.6 0.02409t0.75 ct > 0.347 0.014
1/3 0.347 0.339
Proposed ct = t (1 + 1.1524t ) 0 ct 3 0.06

Circular channels

Straub [8] cc = 1.01 D0.01 c0.25 0.1 cc 0.85 5.8 (D 0.25 m)

Swamee [4] cc = (1 + 0.77c3 )0.085 0.02 cc 1 1.46
0.9584c0.25
Vatankhah and cc = (1+0.0106c0.26 0.0132c1.863 )10.022
0 cc 0.92 0.25
Bijankhan [9]
Proposed cc = (1 + 13.6c2.1135 13c2.1 )0.1156 0.01 cc 1 0.27
There are no explicit equations available in the literature for the horseshoe cross section, and the proposed equations are presented in the paper.

where c and cc are dimensionless variables with c = Q 2 / As previously mentioned, there is currently no explicit equation
[gD5 cos( )], c = 2 cos1 (1 2cc ), and cc = yc /D. for calculating the critical depth of horseshoe channels. Therefore,
Straub [8] proposed a semi-empirical equation for the critical using the curve fitting method the following explicit equations
depth in circular open channels as follows were developed for computing the critical depth for standard
horseshoe channels
cc = 1.01 D0.01 c0.25 . (14)
(1.7h10.7 + 0.000006h8.877 )0.02799
As noted, Eq. (14) is dimensionally inhomogeneous. This equation chI =
is not very accurate and its error depends on the diameter of the
(1 + 1.6h2.4 )0.11
channel. For example, for D 0.25 m, the maximum error is 5.8%. (proposed-standard Type I horseshoe channels) (19)
Swamee [4] numerically inverted Eq. (13) for the dimensionless
(3.37h12.74 + 0.000053h10.954 )0.02275
critical depth, cc , using the curve fitting method as follows chII =
0.085
(1 + 1.07h2.15 )0.14
cc = (0.77c + 1)
3
. (15)
(proposed-standard Type II horseshoe channels) (20)
The maximum error of Eq. (15) is less than 1.46% in the practical
range of 0.02 cc 1. where the subscripts I and II denote Type I and Type II, respectively.
Recently, Vatankhah and Bijankhan [9] used the curve fitting The maximum error of Eq. (19) is less than 0.65% in the practical
method to obtain a more accurate equation for the critical depth of range of 0.01 ch 0.988 and that of Eq. (20) is less than 0.55%
a circular channel by inverting Eq. (13) as follows in the practical range of 0.01 ch 0.99.
The proposed explicit equations of the dimensionless critical
0.9584c0.25 depth for trapezoidal, circular, horseshoe channels, Eqs. (12), (17),
cc = 0.26
. (16) (19) and (20), are depicted graphically in Fig. 4. The actual data used
(1 + 0.0106 c 0.0132c1.863 )10.022
for estimating these equations using regression are also shown. The
The maximum error of Eq. (16) is less than 0.25% in the practical (almost) perfect match between the actual and proposed critical
range of 0 cc 0.92. depths is evident.
In the current study, the following regression-based equation is
proposed for computing the critical depth 4. Computation of normal depth (governing equation)
cc = (13.6c2.1135 13c2.1 + 1)0.1156
The uniform flow condition in an open channel is described by
(proposed-circular channels). (17) the following Mannings formula [17]
The maximum error of Eq. (17) is less than 0.27% in the practical
range of 0.01 cc 1. Table 2 presents a summary of the pro- S0 A5/3
Q = (21)
posed and existing explicit equations for circular cross sections. n P 2/3
Clearly, the proposed solution offers both simplicity and accuracy in which is the unit conversion constant, 1.0 (SI), 1.49 (CU), S0 is
compared with other solutions. the longitudinal slope of the channel, and n is Mannings roughness
coefficient.
3.3. Standard horseshoe channels
4.1. Trapezoidal channels
Substituting for A and T from Table 1 into Eq. (8) yields the
following dimensionless form Substituting for A and P from Eqs. (1) and (2) into Eq. (21), the
Mannings equation becomes
A3ch 5/3
h = h2 (ch ) = (18) nt (1 + z nt )5/3
H 5 Tch t = (22)
in which h and ch are dimensionless variables with h = Q 2 / (1 + 2nt 1 + z 2 )2/3

[gH 5 cos( )], ch = yc /H , H is height of the conduit, and the sub- where nt = yn /b, yn is the normal depth, t = nQ /(b8/3 S0 )
script h denotes the standard horseshoe cross section. and the subscript n denotes normal flow conditions.
 A.R. Vatankhah, S.M. Easa / Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 22 (2011) 4349 47

The maximum error involved in Eq. (26) is less than 0.06% in the
range of 0 nr 100. Note that from an engineers viewpoint,
it would be more useful to have a simple and reasonably accurate
expression for the practical range rather than a complicated and
more accurate expression for a much wider range. Eq. (26) is more
accurate over a larger range, but Eq. (25) is simpler to use, less
computationally intensive, and reasonably accurate. It is applicable
for the entire practical range of nr .

4.2. Circular channels

Substituting for A and P from Eqs. (4) and (5) into Eq. (21) the
following equation is obtained

(n sin n )5/3
c = h3 (nc ) = 2/3
(27)
213/3 n

in which c = nQ /(D8/3 S0 ), n = 2 cos1 (1 2nc ) and
nc = yn /D.
Using the curve fitting method, the following regression-based
equation is proposed for computing the normal depth for circular
channels,
(0.55c1.1 14.55c4.136 +0.4645)
nc = 1.025c
(proposed-circular channels). (28)

The maximum error involved in Eq. (28) is less than 0.35%

in the practical range (0.005 nc 0.82). There is a rationale
for selecting the upper value of the preceding practical range.
Fig. 4. Comparison of actual and proposed dimensionless critical depth: (a) Channels with a closing top-width can be designated as channels
trapezoidal channels and (b) circular and standard horseshoe channels. of the second kind [16]. In these channels, the discharge is not
a single-value function of the normal depth beyond a certain
Swamee and Rathie [11] proposed two infinite series solutions range of the flow depth. In this range, a small disturbance in the
that help in evaluating the normal depth for trapezoidal cross water surface may cause it to seek alternate normal depths, thus
sections. When two different solutions are given for a cross section, contributing to the instability of the water surface. In practice, it
a range of applicability should be determined. However, the choice is usual to restrict the flow depth to be below this range to avoid
of either solution for the most widely used nt range depends this double normal depth phenomenon. For circular channels, this
on the nt -value and the side slope of the channel, and this fact instability range occurs when the flow depth is greater than 0.82
complicates their applications in practice [12]. of the channel height. Thus, in practice it is sufficient to restrict the
To overcome this limitation, an explicit equation is developed
flow depth to be less than this ratio.
here for the normal depth using the fixed point iteration scheme.
Rearranging Eq. (22), then
3/5
4.3. Standard horseshoe channels
t (1 + 2nt0 1 + z 2 )2/5
nt =
1 + z nt0 Substituting for A and P from Table 1 into Eq. (21) yields the
(proposed-trapezoidal channels) (23) following dimensionless form
5/3
in which nt0 is an initial guess for the normal depth which is Anh
proposed as follows h = h4 (nh ) = 2/3
(29)
H 8/3 Pnh
3/5 3/5
1 + 0.856 (1 + z 1.263 )(1 0.0585z )
nt0 = t t
. (24) in which h = nQ /(H 8/3 S0 ), nh = yn /H , H is height of the
3/5
t + 1.945z conduit, and the subscript h denotes a standard horseshoe cross
The maximum error involved in Eq. (23) is less than 0.7% in the section. It is important to note that for nh > 0.82, the discharge is
practical range of 0 z 3 and 0 nt 1. not a single-valued function of the normal depth for the standard
For rectangular channels (z = 0), Eq. (21) becomes Type I and Type II horseshoe cross sections. Thus, in practice it
is sufficient to restrict the depth of flow to be less than 0.82 of
nr = r3/5 (1 + 2r3/5 + 1.712r6/5 )2/5
the channel height in both types. In addition, it is not necessary
(proposed-rectangular channels) (25) to compute the normal depth for very small water depth [13].
8/3
Therefore, the minimum value of the dimensionless normal depth
where nr = yn /b, r = nQ /(b S0 ). The maximum error
involved in Eq. (25) is less than 0.08% in the practical range, 0 is suggested as nh = 0.05.
nr 3. Liu et al. [15] developed general formulae for the direct
In comparison, Srivastava [10] proposed an expression for the computation of the normal depth for all types of horseshoe cross
normal depth of rectangular channels, based on truncation of the sections (for three zones) as follows,
iterative algorithm and the curve fitting method, as follows
nh = (0.057t 2 0.3738t + 1.3849)h(0.00216t
2 0.0126t +0.4806)

3/5 0.3929 2/5

nr = r 1 + 2.404r0.6321 (1 + 2.030r0.9363 ) . [for Q Q (e)]

(26) (30)
48 A.R. Vatankhah, S.M. Easa / Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 22 (2011) 4349

Table 3
Summary of proposed and existing explicit equations for the normal depth in rectangular and standard horseshoe channels.
Equation reference Proposed formulae Application range Maximum relative error (%)

Rectangular channels
3/5 2/5
nr = r 1 + 2.404r0.6321 (1 + 2.030r0.9363 )0.3929 0 nr 100

Srivastava [10] 0.06
3/5 3/5 6/5
Proposed nr = r (1 + 2r + 1.712r )2/5 0 nr 3 0.08

Standard horseshoe channels

nh = (0.057t 2 0.3738t + 1.3849)h(0.00216t

2 0.0126t +0.4806)
0 < Q Q (e) and 0.05 nh 0.10

Liu et al. [15] (Types I and II) nh = (0.1997t 2 + 1.124t 0.9243)h1.2 + (0.0956t 2 Q (e) Q Q (0.5H ) 0.35
0.5401t + 1.8479)h0.6 + (0.002t 2 0.0166t + 0.0524)
nh = (0.0111t 2 + 0.0501t + 2.8232)h1.2 + (0.0381t 2 Q (0.5H ) Q and nh 0.82 1.35
0.2063t 0.3739)h0.6 + (0.0001t 2 0.0063t + 0.3789)
(1.722h0.892 17.6h4.2 +0.3956)
Proposed (Type I) nhI = 0.5h 0.05 nh 0.82 0.63
(1.5h1.14 182.46h6.9 +0.4414)
Proposed (Type II) nhII = 0.75h 0.05 nh 0.82 0.63

There are no proper explicit equations available in the literature for circular and trapezoidal cross sections, and the proposed equations are presented in the paper.

nh = (0.1997t 2 + 1.124t 0.9243)h1.2

+ (0.0956t 2 0.5401t + 1.8479)h0.6
+ (0.002t 2 0.0166t + 0.0524)
[for Q (e) Q Q (0.5H )] (31)
1.2
nh = (0.0111t + 0.0501t + 2.8232)
2
h
0.6
+ (0.0381t 2 0.2063t 0.3739) h
+ (0.0001t 2 0.0063t + 0.3789)
[for Q (0.5H ) Q ]. (32)

To apply these formulae, the limits of the discharge Q should be

determined. Then, the equation corresponding to the flow range is
used. In practice, however, it is preferable to have a single normal
depth equation for the entire range of flow (0.05 nh 0.82).
Therefore, the following regression-based equations were devel-
oped for computing the normal depth of horseshoe channels,

(1.722 0.892 17.6 4.2 +0.3956)

nhI = 0.5h h h

(proposed-standard Type I horseshoe channels) (33)

(1.5h1.14 182.46h6.9 +0.4414)
nhII = 0.75h
(proposed-standard Type II horseshoe channels) (34)

where the subscripts I and II denote Type I and Type II, respectively.
The proposed approximations of the dimensionless normal depth
of Eqs. (33) and (34) work very well over the entire practical range
of depth (0.05 nh 0.82) with a maximum percentage error
less than 0.63%. Table 3, presents a summary of the proposed and
existing explicit equations for rectangular and Standard Horseshoe
cross sections. Clearly, the proposed solution offers both simplicity
and accuracy compared with other solutions.
The proposed explicit equations of the dimensionless normal
depth for trapezoidal, circular, and horseshoe channels, Eqs. (23),
(28), (33) and (34), are depicted graphically in Fig. 5, along with the
actual data. Again, the proposed critical depth equations (almost)
perfectly match actual data.
5. Conclusions
The critical and normal depths are important elements in
the design, operation, and maintenance of open channels. The
calculation of these elements is traditionally performed using trial
procedures, numerical/graphical methods, or explicit regression-
based equations. Explicit solutions for the critical depth are
available in the literature for trapezoidal and circular channels,
but not for horseshoe channels. For the normal depth, explicit
Fig. 5. Comparison of actual and proposed dimensionless normal depth: (a)
trapezoidal channels and (b) circular and standard horseshoe channels.
equations are available for only rectangular and horseshoe
channels, but not for trapezoidal or circular channels.
This paper has presented explicit solutions of these elements
for three types of channels: trapezoidal, circular, and horseshoe.
For the critical depth, new explicit equations for horseshoe
channels and improved explicit equations for trapezoidal and
circular channels are presented. For the normal depth, new explicit
equations for circular and trapezoidal channels and improved
solutions for horseshoe channels are presented.
Dimensionless variables of the governing equations (Eqs. (8)
and (21)) are very powerful tools for developing general regression
equations without the need for using actual data. The explicit
equations were developed using regression analysis based on the
practical ranges of the corresponding dimensionless variables.
 A.R. Vatankhah, S.M. Easa / Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 22 (2011) 4349
The functional form of the regression equation is determined
by evaluating different mathematical functions and selecting
the one that minimizes the maximum relative error. This error
also depends on the number of data points selected within the
ranges of the dimensionless variables. In addition, visualization
of the response surface of the governing equation was found to
greatly help in selecting the appropriate mathematical functions
for evaluation. These factors and the skills of the analyst could
result in different regression equations for the same dimensionless
variables.
The maximum relative error of the proposed regression
equations is less than 1%. The proposed equations exhibit both
simplicity and accuracy. It is hoped that the efficient computational
tools presented in this paper will be useful in the design and
analysis of open channels.
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