Enter the cross-sectional area of the culvert and the flow velocity into the calculator to determine the flow rate through the culvert.
Culvert Flow Rate Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the flow rate through a culvert.
Q = A * V
Variables:
- Q is the flow rate through the culvert (cubic feet per second, cfs)
- A is the cross-sectional area of the culvert (square feet, sq ft)
- V is the flow velocity (feet per second, ft/s)
To calculate the flow rate through a culvert, multiply the cross-sectional area of the culvert by the flow velocity.
What is a Culvert Flow Rate?
Culvert flow rate is the volume of water that passes through a culvert per unit of time. It is an important measure in hydrology and civil engineering for designing drainage systems and for flood control. The flow rate depends on the size and shape of the culvert, the hydraulic gradient, and the roughness of the culvert’s interior surface.
How to Calculate Culvert Flow Rate?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Culvert Flow Rate.
- First, determine the cross-sectional area of the culvert (A) in square feet.
- Next, determine the flow velocity (V) in feet per second.
- Next, gather the formula from above = Q = A * V.
- Finally, calculate the Culvert Flow Rate (Q) in cubic feet per second (cfs).
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem :
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
cross-sectional area of the culvert (A) = 2.5 sq ft
flow velocity (V) = 3 ft/s
