Design Review - Minipe Radial Gate Height Extension

by 400mm
Location - Balawardena Wewa (No. of Gates = 2)

Assumptions
1. Due to the unavailability of specific details, gate
members sizes are estimated according to the physical
observations when drawing of the gate structure.
2. Design head = 3.471 m / Gate Span =6m
3. The safety factor of the piers and other civil structures
are as the same as the mechanical structure under new
loading conditions according to design norms.In similar
civil structures safety factor will be maintained at 40%
higher
than
the
safety
factor of the
mechanical
structure.According to DIN19704 the safety factor of the gate
under
permanent
load
shall
be
1.3
and
considering
fatigue,creep,occational turbulences and also other impacts, the
safety factor of the gate structure shuld be maintained at 1.8.
To minimize the presently observed over flowing (above the top of
gate), the possibility of extending the gates vertical height by
400mm is explored. This analysis is done for checking the holding
capacity of the newly added water volume by extending the
existing vertical stiffness of the gate structure.
The figure given below illustrates the dimensions of the gate
used for the calculations of the report

Figure-1 Basic dimensions for the calculation

Load Calculations
Horizontal component of the water load on the newly added 400mm
gate portion is given by the equation 1,
Wh = BH(H-h/2)

(e1)

Wh = 4.708 kN
Vertical component of the water load on the newly added 4 00mm
gate portion is given by the equation 2,
(e2)
Wv = -1.511 kN
Then the resultant force acting on the newly added gate portion
is given by the equation 3,
(e3)

W = 4.94 kN.
During the above calculations, it was assumed that the total load
acting on the gate portion is equivalent to 10 kN and that the
gate portion is restrained by the welding along the mating faces
of the skin plate and the mating faces of vertical stiffeners.

The following figures illustrates the graphical representations

of the analysis

Figure -2 Solidworks static analysis (Stress)

Assumptions - Total load 10 kN
Material - plain carbon steel

Figure -3 Solidworks Static Analysis (Factor of Safety)

As a result of the newly added 400mm portion, total water load

acting on the gate has increased. The following section focuses
on the new load calculations.
Wh new = 354.56
Wv new = 116.48

kN
kN

Then the new resultant force acting on the gate is 373.48kN along
the 18.18 degrees to the horizontal axis.

Figure 4 - Total load acting on the gate with 400mm extended part
Thus, according to the newly acted loads on the gate, stability
and the strength of the gate arms was examined.
Upper and Lower arms results are as follows.
Each upper and lower arms loads are,
R up = 99.29 kN,
R low = 92.36 kN

Figure -5 Stresses analysis of Gate Arms

Figure -6 Factor of Safety analysis of Gate Arms

Conclusion
1. Addition of 400mm vertical height to the existing gate
structure is recommended under the minimum factor of safety
of 2.1 as per the analysis result.
2. Also it is recommended to introduce a side stiffener plate
to the gate arm at the connection point before the trunnion
assembly according to the drawing provided.
3. Trunion assembly is a necessity to strengthen as per the
given sketch, since the embedded J- bolts' present
condition is not discoverable. Thus could be stated as an
essential remedy.

Figure -7 proposed trunion-strengthening method