6-4 Assessment of the blockage level and effective hydraulic cross-section of culverts in flood flows

Abstrak

In mountainous and foothill areas, stone, gravel, wood debris, and other large materials contained in mudflows can accumulate at the inlet of culverts, reducing their hydraulic conductivity. As a result, the water flow through the pipeline will decrease, and the risk of flooding of the roadbed and transport structures will increase. This study examines an approach to assessing the degree of blockage of culverts under the influence of mudflows and the effective hydraulic cross-section formed as a result of blockage. In the study, the initial cross-sectional area, the cross-sectional area of the blocked section, and the remaining open cross-sectional area of the pipeline are taken as the main parameters. The degree of blocking is determined by an indicator representing the proportion of the pipe cross-section blocked. The effective hydraulic cross-section is evaluated by subtracting the area of the blocked part from the initial cross-section. The proposed approach allows for the comparison of the pipeline's hydraulic conductivity under various blocking scenarios and its use for the probabilistic assessment of water pressure and the probability of failure at the next stage.