Application of Stream Flow Around a Circular Cylinder to Circular- crested Weir Flow

Of the many hydraulic structures developed by man, the weir is perhaps the oldest. Weirs are used for the measurement of discharge and regulation of water flow. The most common types of weirs are broad-crested, sharp-crested, circular-crested and cylindrical, and ogee crest weirs. Advantage of the circular-crested and cylindrical weir compared to the other weirs include simplicity of design, stable overflow pattern, larger coefficient of discharge and the associated lower costs. In the present study, potential flow around a circular cylinder are adapted to determine the velocity distribution at the crest section and to develop a model for coefficient of discharge (Cd) for circular-crested weirs. These results were evaluated using present test data for three types of weir models, namely, cylindrical, semicylindrical and semicylindrical with different heights and also Dressler theory. The results of the study showed that the experimental velocity profile agree very well with the theoretical profiles for the range of the study. Also, the prediction of the velocity distribution over the weir crest using Dressler theory is always less than the proposed model and measured data. The predicted values of coefficient of discharge (Cd) based on the proposed model agree well with Cd determined from direct discharge measurements. For the cylindrical model, the coefficient of discharge can be predicted from the proposed model within an error of –7% and for the semicylindrical and semicylindrical with different heights within ± 5%.