Fact Sheet
US Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
January 2004
Public Affairs Office
3909 Halls Ferry Road
Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199
(601) 634-2504
http://www.erdc.usace.army.mil
Lock Approach Guidance
Purpose: To develop guidance in lock approaches. This will include the evaluation of guard
walls and outdraft, and the effects of submergence and draft on navigability in lock approaches.
Background: Guard walls,
located in the upper lock
approach, protect against
tows being drawn towards
the navigation dam during
project discharges.
The
performance of these guard
walls drastically impacts the
functional efficiency of any
given lock. Poor navigation
conditions in the lock
approaches produce traffic
delays and safety concerns.
The costs of guard walls are
significant in that they are
estimated to be one-third of the overall project cost. Current hydraulic design guidance lacks
detailed information to provide engineers with the proper tools for determining appropriate guard
wall geometry.
Facts: This research is providing additional guidance for the hydraulic design of lock guard
walls. A combination of numerical- and physical-model experiments has been conducted with
numerous guard wall configurations. These results have been combined to determine hydraulic
considerations for the basic layout of guard walls. Optimum design ratios, which produce the
best navigation conditions for the flow and channel conditions tested are being quantified. This
design guidance will be provided to the field in a technical report and a workshop to be held in
FY 04.
Points of Contact: For additional information, please contact Mr. Howard Park at 601-634-
4011 ( ), Dr. Richard Stockstill at 601-634-4251
( ), or Mr. Don Wilson at 601-634-2813
( )"> ).
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