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Channel bed pressure (at the bed of an open channel)

Description

The depth–slope product is used to calculate the shear stress at the bed of an open channel containing fluid that is undergoing steady, uniform flow. The total stress on the bed of an open channel of infinite width is given by the hydrostatic pressure acting on the bed. For a fluid of density, an acceleration due to gravity g, and a flow depth h, the pressure exerted on the bed is simply the weight of an element of fluid, g, times the depth of the flow, h. From this, we get the expression for the total pressure, acting on the bed.

Related formulas

Variables

PbPressure (Pa)
ρDensity of the fluid (kg/m3)
gStandard gravity
hDepth of the flow (m)