Assignment 2

Engineering Hydrology
Caleb Jeoung 3417471

Matthews 232

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Part 1
a) Flood Frequency Analysis for the Bellinger River at Thora catchment.
(Below is the excel table of values)

From the flood frequency Analysis, the peak flow for a 20 year ARI flood event
corresponds to 5 in the 1 in Y column, approximately equal to 226.99m^3/s

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a) Observed Annual Maximum Series Flood values and Design Values

for 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 year ARI events.

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Part 2
a) Bridge Flow Design

Qy=kI AC y
k=

1
3.6

tc=0.76A 0.38=0.7627.970.38 =2.695 ( PR method for Eastern NSW )

I =45 mm per hr ( using IFD chart with20 year ARI , duration of 2.695 hr )
A=27.97 km 2
Cy=C 10FFy=C 20=C 10FF 20=0.61.07
FFy

0.642 ( Table 5.1 of ARR 87 V 1,C 10 ARR 87 V 2 )

Qy=

1
4527.970.642=224.46 m3 per sec
3.6

b) Prediction of Peak Flow

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From the diagram and UH method, the design peak flow is chosen to be
approximately 355.9m3/s

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c) Changes to Design Flow from part a

Yes it is necessary to alter the design flow determined in part a. The design flow was
determined to be approximately 224.46m^3/s using the rational method, whereas
in part b it was calculated to be 355.88m^3/s. It is safer to design to the higher
peak flow to increase the safety of the design.
The difference in peak discharges can possibly be explained through the limitations
of the rational method. Although it is very simple to use, it has a few limitations
such as the assumption that a drainage basin is homogenous. Therefore, if the
surface varies, it will introduce errors into the calculation. Furthermore, the rational
method becomes less accurate when applied to larger areas and the method
assumes that a rainfall duration equal to the time of concentration leads to the
greatest peak flow. If this is not true in the area we are considering, the calculations
will be further affected in accuracy. However, when the method is used
appropriately, taking into consideration its assumptions, a relatively accurate
calculation can be made.
The UH theory used in part b also has some limitations due to its own assumptions.
For example, the effective rainfall is assumed to occur uniformly over the whole
catchment, and it is obvious this isnt the case. This introduces possibilities of
inaccuracy when compared to the true value of peak flow. The effective rainfall is
also considered to be constant throughout the whole time period, which also is
never the case in reality. Lastly, there is a crucial assumption of linearity which
affects the final value as no catchment acts in a completely linear way.
These limitations simply reflect the complexity of nature and how far one can
predict nature from past experiences. Although there can be errors and lack of
accuracy, when used appropriately, both methods work well in calculating a peak
flow in a catchment.

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