The dam vertical lift gate is one of the most important operational parts that regulate the high head water flow to power plants as well as satisfying the water needs for projects and areas downstream of the dam. Due to the high water levels in the dam reservoir, the gates are subjected to many hydrostatic and dynamic pressures that affect their performance and stability. Hence, it became necessary to study all parameters that may cause excessive pressures which may lead to reduce the gate performance efficiency or even cause failure. In the current study, the pressure distribution along the bottom surface of various gate lip shapes has been measured and presented as contour maps using Surfer software. The pressure fluctuation was observed to indicate the intensity of flow separation and reattachment which, in turn, causes a vibration that may threaten the stability of the gate or impede its proper functioning. The pressures in this study are expressed as a dimensional coefficient through the integration of pressure measurements at 8 points distributed over the bottom gate surface. The high intensity of pressure attachment indicates the critical condition for hydraulic design.
The gate which controls the flow through the dam tunnel is termed as lift gate. Such gates are subjected to the hydrostatic and hydrodynamics forces, since the flow passes over and beneath the gate and produces pressures at the top and bottom of the gate surfaces. The differences between these two pressure forces are termed as downpull force. The evaluation of this force is very important due to its effects on closure of the gate, its positive and / or negative values.
The estimation of downpull force requires the determination of top and bottom pressure coefficients for wide range of discharges, gate openings, velocity, and pressure distribution in many locations .For the present research these measurements have prepared for different types of gate lip shapes along with laboratory hydraulic tunnel model which have been used. Various flow conditions and gate openings have been examined .The results concluded from the measurements and analysis tend to confirm the effects of the gate lip shapes on the values of downpull force, which in case of its negative value will prevent the gate to close and make some failures and damages.
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