UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
| BULLETIN No. 376 
Contribution from Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering 
J&P'^U'U LOGAN WALLER PAGE, Director 
Washington, D. C. 
PROFESSIONAL PAPER 
November 25, 1916 
THE FLOW OF WATER IN WOOD-STAVE PD>E. 
By Fred. C. Scobey, Irrigation Engineer. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
Nomenclature 3 
Formulas for Flow of Water in Wood-Stave 
Pipe 4 
Trend of Engineering Thought Regarding 
the Carrying Capacity of Wood-Stave 
Pipes - - 7 
Necessary Field Data for Determination of 
Retarding Elements of Various Formulas . . 14 
Equipment and Methods Employed for 
Collecting and Interpreting Field Data 16 
Elements of Field Tests to Determine Fric- 
tion Losses and Comparison of Observed 
Velocities with Velocities Computed from 
Various Formulas 26 
Description of Pipes 40 
Page. 
A New Set of Formulas for the Flow of Water 
in Wood-Stave Pipe 48 
Comparison of the Various Formulas 55 
Kutter's Formula as Applied to Wood-Stave 
Pipe 56 
Effect of Age upon the Carrying Capacity 
of Wood-Stave Pipe 58 
Capacity of Wood-Stave Pipes 58 
Estimate Diagrams and Table 66 
Capacity of Wood-Stave Pipe Compared 
with that of Cast Iron and Riveted Steel. . 72 
Conclusions 73 
Acknowledgments 74 
Appendix 74 
Discussion 81 
INTRODUCTION. 
During the past 10 or 15 years the use of wood pipe for the con- 
veyance of water has been greatly increased. Such pipe is now r quite 
Commonly used to convey water for the irrigation of land, the domes- 
tic needs of towns and cities, and the development of power. So 
long as w T ood pipe consisted of bored logs its carrying capacity was 
limited to a small flow and its adaptation to a limited set of condi- 
tions, but the conversion of clear, sound lumber into staves and the 
making of stave pipe into sizes from 12 to 72 inches in diameter led 
to a great expansion in both carrying capacities and uses. More 
recently it has been found that stave pipe can be successfully built 
Note. — This bulletin treats of the subject of flowing water in wood-stave pipes. It is based on field 
tests made on pipes in commercial operation. New formulas are developed that more accurately fit all 
known data than any others now used. This publication is offered for use of engineers designing and 
measuring wood-stave pipes for irrigation, power, municipal, mining, or other purposes and for courts 
and attorneys at law interested in cases involving the carrying capacities of wood-stave pipes, 
42463°— Bull. 376—16 1 
