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| NAVIGATION LOCK | ||
| QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS | ||
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AUTHOR: | JaNette Kelly |
| E-MAIL: | jankelly@MIT.EDU | |
| COURSE: | 2 | |
| CLASS/YEAR: | 3 | |
MAIN FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT: Transport vessels between different river levels
DESIGN PARAMETER: Navigation Lock
Sealable basin placed in between difference in water levels that empties and fills to match the water level of either side of the lock
GEOMETRY/STRUCTURE:
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| Components of Navigation Lock |
Walls – enclose the lock; also hold the flood gates that regulate water flow into and out of the lock.
Floor – Same level as the downstream river/canal bed, steps up to upstream river canal/bed right before upstream gates.
Upstream Gates – open allowing vessels to enter or leave the lock at the upstream end; closes and seals off the upstream end of the lock so that the water level can be changed; usually angled out, can be one or two gates (see below)
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| Possible Lock Configurations |
Doors slant towards upstream because higher water level creates a greater water pressure that pushes from the upstream against the doors, holding them shut once the water level inside the lock changes (see right side of above figure).
Downstream Gates – similar to upstream gates, opening and closing off access to downstream part of canal or river. Doors slant inwards because higher water pressure inside lock holds doors shut when the level is above that of the downstream side.
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| Cross Section of Lock Pipes |
Regulating Flood Gates/ Pipes – Pipes built into side of lock walls connecting bottom of river/canal outside of lock to the inside of the lock. Gates that seal off flow through these pipes can be raised to open the pipes, allowing water to flow through and fill or empty. Gates are also often found in the door of the lock as well.
EXPLANATION OF HOW IT WORKS/ IS USED:
Following a Vessel Traveling Downstream
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| Step 1: Travleing Downstream |
Boat enters upstream; doors shut behind boat; downstream sluice gates are raised opening pipes between bottom of lock and downstream canal
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| Step 2: Travleing Downstream |
- Water empties out of lock to downstream due to difference in water pressure
- While emptying, the difference in water level across the upstream and downstream gates holds the upstream gates shut – the angle of the gates towards the upstream end facilitates this.
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| Step 3: Travleing Downstream |
Once water level in lock is the same as the water level downstream, doors can open and boat exits lock.
DOMINANT PHYSICS:
Comming.....
LIMITING PHYSICS:
Time - Water Flow, Size of Lock, Size of Sluice (flood) gates, drop of Lock
PLOTS/GRAPHS/TABLES:
None Submitted
WHERE TO FIND NAVIGATION LOCKS:
- Almost any navigable river or canal system that flows through changes in altitude
- Panama Canal, Great Lakes, English Canals
REFERENCES/MORE INFORMATION:
Leliavsky, Serge, Design Textbooks in Civil Engineering Volume 2 – Irrigation Engineering: Syphons, Weirs and Locks, Chapman and Hall Ltd: London, 1965, pp. 191-291
http://www.pigpen.demon.co.uk/locks.htm
http://terra.org/sailing/locks/locksjs.html
