What are Stoplogs?
Stoplogs are hydraulic engineering control elements that are used in floodgates to adjust the water level, to protect and secure during maintenance and to discharge in a river, canal or reservoir.
They are individually lowered one on top of other via a vertical guide system to a predeterminate height, to fit the dimensions of the sluice that they restricts the water flow.
Stoplogs are used in a wide variety of applications and installations including but not limited to:
- water and wastewater treatment
- flood control
- canal lock isolation
- hydro-electric plants
- power stations
- maintenance
How are they structured?
Stoplogs are typically long rectangular steel beams or boards that are placed one on of the other and dropped into premade slots inside a weir, gate or a channel. That rectangular structure can be used in single or modular format to hold back different volumes of water. These types of structures are plates fabricated in steel which are suitably reinforced with various beams and vertical stiffeners in order to withstand the water pressures.
Stoplogs are designed and fabricated to achieve the most effective modular increments to suit the requirements of the site where they will be employed.
Main characteristics
- The Stoplogs dimensions can be modifiy to fit the existing site conditions, the design can be adjusted as well as required by the civil works;
- The stoplogs are made up of several elements with dimensions that facilitate transport;
- The Sealing System consists of rubber on the bottom, on the top (when necessary) and on the lateral sides, of each stoplog element, all seated in metal;
- These structures are normally equipped with an integrated bypass system.
Stoplogs, Flashboards and Handstops
Occasionally, stoplogs are confused with Flashboards since both structures are used in bulkhead or crest gates and most engineers will use these two terms interchangeably.
However, most engineering texts and design firms differentiate the two structures in the following way:
- Stoplogs are specialized in bulkheads gates they are dropped into premade slots or guides in a channel or control They are also intended to be reused;
- Flashboards are bulkheads that are placed on the crest on top of a channel wall or control structure. Occasionally, they are designed to break away under high flow conditions in order to provide only a temporary diversion.
Smaller stoplogs are sometimes called handstops. They are constructions are designed to be easily operated by a single individual and they are used in smaller gated structures, such as irrigation delivery ditches or in the gates used to control water depth in larger submerged fields.
After 50 years of evolution and experience, Vortex Hydra generates results and offers new ideas for developing products, machines, structures and plants that always put forward quality, safety and sustainable solutions.