Chapter 5 - Design Loads and Load Combinations

Abstract

Hydraulic gates are structures the design of which is highly dominated by the carried loading. Two basic questions need to be answered when approaching that design:Which loads and other actions the gate will be exposed to during its life?Which performance parameters of sustaining these loads and actions are acceptable?This chapter gives answers to these questions based on the current European and American design codes and most relevant investigation results of recent decades. It discusses the single load cases, including the hydraulic loads, self-weight loads, loads from gate drives, debris, ice, sediment, ship collision, and other relevant actions; as well as the combinations of these cases. Most of the discussion is presented in view of the semi-probabilistic limit state design, known in the USA as the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) method. The focus is obviously on hydraulic loads that include not only the “typical” load components like water heads and wind induced waves but also other actions like seiches, tsunamis, loads from flow, water impacts, and loads in anticipation of climate change.