DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTOMATIC VERTICAL GATE FOR CONTROLLING EXCESS WATER AT THE HEAD OF IRRIGATION SOURCE

The purpose of this study was to design and develop an automatic vertical gate for controlling excess water at the head of irrigation source. In this respect a vertical gate was designed and fabricated to overcome the problem of providing secured irrigation water during the rainy season, under flooding or during the drought.The vertical gate so designed and developed was installed at a minor at the Malakandare farm of N-W.F.P University of Agriculture, Peshawar. The gate was tested for various artificially created flooded and drought conditions. The gate performance was satisfactory. The gate was operated for a water head (hu) of 23 cm to 49 cm for a desired discharge of 21.5 liter per second. The gate successfully maintained the desired discharge during drought. However; during flooding the discharge rosed to 48 liter per second. The increase in discharge and thereby velocity impacted the vanes of vertical gate, the touque produce on vane activated the gate movement mechanism which decreased the gate opening to 1.4cm hence controlling the discharge to the desired value of 21.5 liter per second on the down stream side of the source.