Flow over Notches:

An opening provided in the side of the tank or vessel such that liquid surface
in the tank is below the top edge of the opening is called notch.
In general notches are used to measure the rate of flow of liquid from a tank
or in a channel. They are made of metallic plates.
The sheet of water flowing through a notch is known as nappe. The bottom
of the notch over which the water flows is called crest.
The notches are usually classified according to the shape of the opening such
as rectangular notch, triangular notch (or V notch), trapezoidal notch, parabolic
notch and stepped notch. Notches may also be classified according to the effect of
sides on the nappe emerging from the notch, as notch with end contraction and
notch without end contraction or suppressed notch.
Derivation for flow over a Rectangular Notch:
Let us consider the discharge of water flowing over the notch as shown in figure.
Consider an elementary strip of water of thickness dh and length L at depth h below
the surface of water.
Area of the strip = dh * L
Theoretical velocity of water flowing through the strip = 2gh
If dQ is the discharge over the strip, then
dQ=C dLdh 2gh

Where, Cd is the coefficient of discharge.

The total discharge Q over the entire notch can be determined by integrating the
above expression within limits 0 to H
H

dQ= C dLdh 2gh

0

Assuming the Cd to be constant,

3

2
Q= C dL 2gH 2
3

The above equation is used to calculate discharge over a rectangular notch.