What Is a Culvert?

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 6 май 2024
  • Discussing the hydraulics of the humble highway culvert.
    Culverts are ubiquitous in the constructed world. They seem so obvious that you may never consider them. But, the engineering behind culverts is quite complicated and exciting. Next time you're driving or walking along a street, keep an eye out for culverts. See if you can identify whether the culvert is outlet or inlet controlled and be thankful that we have this ordinary, but remarkable, bit of infrastructure to let you safely walk or drive right over.
    @USDOTFHWA Culvert Hydraulics Video [44:05] • Culvert Hydraulics
    Watch this video and the entire Practical Engineering catalog ad-free on Nebula: go.nebula.tv/practical-engine...
    -Patreon: / practicalengineering
    -Website: practical.engineering
    Writing/Editing/Production: Grady Hillhouse
    Editing and Direction Help: Wesley Crump
    Tonic and Energy by Elexive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License
    Source: • Elexive - Tonic and En...
    This video is sponsored by NordVPN.

Комментарии • 2 тыс.

  • @PracticalEngineeringChannel
    @PracticalEngineeringChannel  4 года назад +1137

    Many have correctly pointed out an essential design criterion that I mistakenly left out of this discussion. Ephemeral or not, waterways serve important ecological functions that can be disrupted by filling across them. A poorly designed culvert can let water through while obstructing the movement of animals and ruining their habitat as well. Engineers work with other professionals like biologists and environmental scientists to make sure that culverts are properly designed hydraulically, structurally, AND ecologically.

    • @BillyBDosio
      @BillyBDosio 4 года назад +20

      Practical Engineering beavers be blocked by bad building

    • @Cordman1221
      @Cordman1221 4 года назад +22

      Hopefully. Plus over time and heavy water flows, culverts dig themselves out of embankments, obstructing the flow of fish. Especially after a fire, when landscapes paradoxically become hydrophobic, culverts can see so much water shoot through them they end up collapsing the road via erosion of the base of the embankment. Water is such a potent natural force, and it's effect is not be dismissed lightly. Improperly built trails get completely washed out by water using their easy to walk topography as the easiest way to flow all the time.
      So basically, water is strong yo.

    • @zrspangle
      @zrspangle 4 года назад +13

      @@Cordman1221 water doesn't give a damn how well designed your feature is,it *will* break it.

    • @MattS3NTM
      @MattS3NTM 4 года назад +2

      Can u do a video on pneumatic tube systems?

    • @spaceman081447
      @spaceman081447 4 года назад +2

      TO: Practical Engineering
      Very good job! Thanks and keep it up.

  • @John-jn2lw
    @John-jn2lw 4 года назад +2508

    Just FYI, my wife is getting suuuuper tired of hearing me talk about all these infrastructure things every time we drive by a power line or a water tower. Now we can add culverts to that list. Keep up the good work!

    • @christopherharrisintexas
      @christopherharrisintexas 3 года назад +69

      I'll add wife AND grandson

    • @andrewyu4314
      @andrewyu4314 3 года назад +5

      Lol

    • @kjp8251
      @kjp8251 3 года назад +3

      @All Rice you're probably a mansplainer bud.

    • @huuamai8151
      @huuamai8151 3 года назад +78

      @All Rice notice how you're not getting a reply? That's what's called "woman-splaining" where they tell you there is a problem but do not tell you what it is while expecting you to understand what it is.

    • @kjp8251
      @kjp8251 3 года назад +2

      @@huuamai8151 if you don't already know what it is, then you're guilty my dude.

  • @QichinVODs
    @QichinVODs 4 года назад +1434

    The engineering of those nomographs is actually more impressive than the culverts themselves.

    • @SuperAWaC
      @SuperAWaC 4 года назад +12

      they were still probably calculated by a computer.

    • @idjles
      @idjles 4 года назад +27

      SuperAWaC no. They are from the studies and built by engineers using formulae.

    • @ideallyyours
      @ideallyyours 4 года назад +90

      @@SuperAWaC Fun fact: "Computer" used to refer to a person doing sums manually, without the aid of silicon. In that sense, you're not wrong.

    • @familiarbreakfast1892
      @familiarbreakfast1892 4 года назад +25

      @@ideallyyours Funfact: Not all computers used silicon. Vacuum tubes have existed for a long while, albiet large and ineffecient.

    • @lkjadslkfjlaksj
      @lkjadslkfjlaksj 4 года назад +29

      They seem magical, but the mathematics is actually quite simple. They're just calculating a linear combination of variables that approximates a function (although the variables themselves aren't necessarily linear with respect to the engineering quantities).

  • @admiralcapn
    @admiralcapn 2 года назад +200

    "On today's episode, we're talking about culverts"
    -- Post10 has entered the chat

    • @qazxsw21000
      @qazxsw21000 2 года назад +16

      Me being a fan of Post10 is the only reason I chose to watch this specific video when it got got into my recommendations

    • @SunnyFLBoy
      @SunnyFLBoy 2 года назад +4

      hahaha

    • @gabiferreira6864
      @gabiferreira6864 2 года назад +7

      Post10 is a legend

    • @userequaltoNull
      @userequaltoNull 2 года назад +4

      I was thinking that lol.

    • @mariekt313
      @mariekt313 2 года назад +4

      literally came here looking for this kind of comment 😂😂😂

  • @francescoboscarini
    @francescoboscarini 4 года назад +465

    “What Is a Culvert”
    You should watch Post 10 dude, he’s an expert about culverts, literally...

    • @PaleoWithFries
      @PaleoWithFries 4 года назад +94

      It’s really strange to hear such extensive discussions of culverts without a heavy suburban new england accent complaining about how someone just left this thing here for years and it’s a bad design. Plus where is all the discussion of how to deal with beavers and the noise of water? Did you know beavers don’t reuse material? give a plug to post10! :)

    • @LvL_99_Red_Chocobo
      @LvL_99_Red_Chocobo 3 года назад +48

      Yep. Just a guy and his rake on a rainy day.

    • @therealboofighter
      @therealboofighter 3 года назад +25

      Post 10 is the hero the world needs!

    • @Boxygirl96
      @Boxygirl96 3 года назад +9

      Just came from one of his Culvert Critic videos where he went to a logging island or something and spent like 20-30 minutes showing off failing Culverts and beautiful wildlife( including the dams from the beavers who’ve taken out a couple of those very Culverts)

    • @ashlol5700
      @ashlol5700 3 года назад +8

      Post 10 yay

  • @DenzCasuela
    @DenzCasuela 4 года назад +3335

    Kid: Mom, what's that?
    Mom: That's a pipe son.
    Kid: No Mom, it's an inlet controlled mitered culvert.

    • @Cheezymuffin.
      @Cheezymuffin. 4 года назад +302

      Mom: "then why do you ask?"

    • @ianfulton4330
      @ianfulton4330 4 года назад +2

      Hello Kitty Lover Man! My

    • @frtard
      @frtard 4 года назад +57

      Mom: You're grounded.

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L 4 года назад +59

      I was that kid....... I can _understand_ why individuals might have found it tiring... but imo encouraging curiosity about the world is worth it. A few years of a parent getting constantly told about things they'll never retain might yield more people interested in civil engineering, or physics, or any number of things! (In case it wasn't obvious, I experienced a lot of exasperated sighs and "why do _I_ need to know that though" type reactions..)

    • @joedyhenderson5084
      @joedyhenderson5084 4 года назад +17

      Dad: What did I say about trying to be smarter than me boy?

  • @yunowhatitis6783
    @yunowhatitis6783 4 года назад +2124

    I identified most of the culverts I see as garbage controlled. Is that correct?

    • @ec8107
      @ec8107 4 года назад +328

      Mattress controlled is my favorite!

    • @davidjames4915
      @davidjames4915 4 года назад +254

      Lol. We've also got a bunch that are beaverdam-controlled.

    • @michaelfoye1135
      @michaelfoye1135 4 года назад +399

      The correct term is Variable Waste Fill Flow Control Mechanism.

    • @seneca983
      @seneca983 4 года назад +99

      Except when that post 10 guy is nearby.

    • @Riverdale270
      @Riverdale270 4 года назад +16

      @@seneca983 hes a hero

  • @markplain2555
    @markplain2555 4 года назад +233

    As a simple way of explaining how important culverts are: it is estimated that (from what I last remember) 80% of all road damage in Africa comes from bad maintenance, specifically not keeping culverts clean.

    • @morganrussman
      @morganrussman 3 года назад +21

      Which I imagine post 10 himself (youtube channel name) would take care of most of the culvert maintenance if he were over there.

    • @ethancooper1560
      @ethancooper1560 2 года назад +8

      Some of the worst spots when it floods is culverts because they get backed up with debris really fast with a big storm

    • @ddacoe0
      @ddacoe0 2 года назад +1

      that's amazing!!

    • @ilikeceral3
      @ilikeceral3 Год назад

      Presumably no potholes though, right? Or at least very few except in the most elevated areas of the continent.

    • @es4628
      @es4628 Год назад

      Raciest to bring Africans into this.

  • @jakeg2089
    @jakeg2089 4 года назад +329

    My senior project as a civil engineering student was to design a culvert for a small, rural road. "It's just a pipe in the ground, how complicated could it be?" That is exactly what I thought when I heard about the project as well. My jaw hit the floor when I started researching reference material for culvert design - it was way more complicated than I ever imagined! I used the same Federal Highway Design manual you referenced in the video!
    This video does a great job summarizing the different factors which affect the flow through a culvert, but one of the harder parts of designing a culvert is first figuring out how much water will end up going through the culvert in the first place. This can be quite tricky since it requires lots of geographic and historical information about storms in the area the culvert will be.
    Great video as always!

    • @hkr667
      @hkr667 4 года назад +10

      Can you give a hint about how much margin you're supposed to account for? So I assume heavy rainfall is calculated in and in several areas maybe a flood as well, but you cannot account (and pay!) for tsunami levels of water for every road.

    • @RJBond121
      @RJBond121 4 года назад +16

      @@hkr667 I think there is a video on this channel that deals with that question. You basically plan for a "100 year" flood.

    • @jakeg2089
      @jakeg2089 4 года назад +29

      @@hkr667 It mostly depends on the consequences of failure. A small culvert under a rural driveway can be designed for a relatively light storm because it won't create a disaster if it fails. A levee system needs to be designed for a much more intense flow event because tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars could be at stake.
      Every organization has their own criteria to decide what is "good enough." The Federal Highway Administration has a set of guidelines, counties, cities, and states have their own guidelines as well. A common design criteria is the 100-year rain/flood event. This just means that there should only be a 1% chance that in any given year a storm will occur which is too large for the infrastructure to handle. Dams or other large projects are often designed for a 1,000+ year storm.

    • @LDaniel_BDuce
      @LDaniel_BDuce 4 года назад +2

      It isn’t that hard tho.
      All you need is a big enough pipe for the water flow. The culvert is mainly that bumpy tin. And the fall. Most of the time it’s a 2-4 inch fall.
      Then you just need it dig the trench and place the pipe. And boom you have a culvert installed

    • @westmax8491
      @westmax8491 4 года назад +3

      Would you mind me asking which university are you doing you Civ Engineering ? What challenges have you seen as a civil engineering student and internships? I am asking this as I will be entering college this fall and I will be majoring at civil engineering too

  • @andrewv5104
    @andrewv5104 4 года назад +240

    Sizing culverts right now.... Man this video brings me back. I don't think i'll ever forget Nomographs.

    • @PracticalEngineeringChannel
      @PracticalEngineeringChannel  4 года назад +79

      I think all of life's numerical challenges should come with a nomograph!

    • @Keith_Ward
      @Keith_Ward 4 года назад +25

      @@PracticalEngineeringChannel Corrected - "I think all of life's -numerical- challenges should come with a nomograph!"

    • @michaelfoye1135
      @michaelfoye1135 4 года назад +8

      @@PracticalEngineeringChannel You should consider putting a pinned comment on your videos so you can garner all the wisdom from the peanut gallery in one easy to check place.
      Also, on a somewhat related note, you failed to mention the highly popular Variable Waste Fill Flow Control Mechanism method of controlling culvert flow rates.

  • @traceurGeorge
    @traceurGeorge 3 года назад +391

    “Culverts”
    *post 10 has entered the chat*

    • @JCCamp
      @JCCamp 3 года назад +24

      I came here to say this. Grab a like instead

    • @TANGUANXU
      @TANGUANXU 3 года назад +9

      agreed

    • @TANGUANXU
      @TANGUANXU 3 года назад +11

      i love post 10 oso

    • @brunos6599
      @brunos6599 3 года назад +9

      Its been a wild ride since I read your comment. I've got me rake on speed dial next time it rains.

    • @beanman6684
      @beanman6684 3 года назад +11

      I was looking for this comment...

  • @Csrumk
    @Csrumk 4 года назад +648

    "I'll mark the water level with googly eyes."
    He knows his audience so well 😭

    • @johnvance882
      @johnvance882 3 года назад +12

      There's a spot on the paneling in the kitchen at my home that looks like a long legged bird and when I was in middle school I decided to put googly eyes on it and my mom wasn't very happy for some reason...

    • @timothyball3144
      @timothyball3144 2 года назад +1

      So Grady, I see that you have a deduction here for googly eyes. Care to explain?

    • @jamesf456
      @jamesf456 2 года назад +1

      The googly eyes were in the government manual he mentioned so they were spec.

  • @JesusJuenger
    @JesusJuenger 4 года назад +264

    When I was young we used to see pipes put under roads and somebody told me they were tunnels to help hedgehogs cross the road safely. Now I think, maybe they were just culverts and I was being lied to 😢

    • @davidfrischknecht8261
      @davidfrischknecht8261 4 года назад +64

      In some areas they could be used by wildlife to cross the road, especially if they're not completely full of water.

    • @bassam_salim
      @bassam_salim 4 года назад +2

      In some places it might be a sewage pipe.

    • @Phobos_Anomaly
      @Phobos_Anomaly 4 года назад +4

      Here in Colorado we live with a lot of wildlife. Roads can be deadly to animals and tunnels like this can be life savers for them.

    • @sleeptyper
      @sleeptyper 4 года назад +2

      @Jan - AmiLoGiXx Green bridges are also built in some projects.

    • @gus473
      @gus473 4 года назад

      Did you also get the Santa Claus and Tooth Fairy baloney....? 🤔

  • @ummdustry5718
    @ummdustry5718 4 года назад +414

    Aeronautical Engineer: So you see we can achieve a 1% lightening of the structure by using AI and 3D printing to finely optimise the shape of the internal support
    Civil Engineer: Pipe.

    • @cgunugc
      @cgunugc 4 года назад +119

      My civil engineering professors explicitly told us to not do that type of fanciness. If you want an AI optimized pipe exactly for your requirements, you certainly could design one, but it'll be much more expensive than buying a slightly bigger mass produced one, and thus less efficient.
      So, yep. Pipe. Pipe good.

    • @migkillerphantom
      @migkillerphantom 4 года назад +25

      @@cgunugc sure, but I think the implication here is that civil is the short bus of engineering.

    • @MrTeddy12397
      @MrTeddy12397 4 года назад +94

      @@cgunugc haha big pipe goes blub blub blub

    • @adamc7828
      @adamc7828 4 года назад +27

      when in doubt, go up a size

    • @danthewolf1997
      @danthewolf1997 4 года назад +22

      @@cgunugc That's what I learned using West Point Bridge Builder in school. Sometimes using stronger materials was cheaper because it was more common.

  • @SuperCookieGaming_
    @SuperCookieGaming_ 4 года назад +220

    Anyone mentions culverts
    Post10: so lets explore and unclog this culvert

    • @didiera.49
      @didiera.49 4 года назад +10

      i was looking for this comment :D

    • @lethargic.
      @lethargic. 3 года назад +3

      @@didiera.49 same lol

    • @NinoM4sterChannel
      @NinoM4sterChannel 3 года назад +4

      same haha

    • @GMan-yv8cb
      @GMan-yv8cb 3 года назад +5

      Post 10 probably sent a 'Private Message' to Grady with a list of corrections!
      GO Post 10 !!!! 😁

  • @Eddyforshort
    @Eddyforshort 4 года назад +107

    2:38 To be fair, governments and engineers could both make a 300 page manual about almost anything.

    • @jamesengland7461
      @jamesengland7461 3 года назад +27

      They've probably made a 300 page manual about manuals.

    • @sidsimon5963
      @sidsimon5963 3 года назад +25

      ​@@jamesengland7461 It's called " Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications" and it's 838 pages . . . but it's a quick read.

    • @johnny_eth
      @johnny_eth 2 года назад

      Like UFOs.

    • @andreaeray
      @andreaeray 2 года назад

      Don't forget, there are manuals from technical writers about how to write good manuals. 😉

  • @andrewsnow7386
    @andrewsnow7386 4 года назад +176

    My brother is a Forestry Engineer. Installing and replacing culverts was part of his job. As I remember it his two biggest complaints were:
    Shotgunning -- This is where on a steep side slope, the exit end of the culvert is high in the air, sticking out of the bank like the barrel of a gun. It wasn't the height of the outlet that was the big problem, but rather that this was the result of the slope of the culvert being much less than the original slope of the stream. The problem is that the when the water encounters the lower slope of the culvert, it slows down. And, when the water slows down, it drops the rocks and sand it is carrying, plugging the culvert.
    Double Culverts -- In flat areas, two (or sometimes even more) culverts are laid side-by-side so less fill is needed to cover them than for one larger culvert. The wall between the two culverts (the gore point if you will) is really good at catching branches. And then the branches catch other stuff quickly clogging both culverts -- especially in times of high flow when the more debris.

    • @jakehanneman6956
      @jakehanneman6956 Год назад +4

      The bridge about 400 feet from the house has a double and I can confirm, I have to get down and clean out the dam almost every year

    • @rafaelraad555
      @rafaelraad555 5 месяцев назад +1

      Yep your brother’s job is also mine.

  • @feuerraeder.colonia
    @feuerraeder.colonia 4 года назад +633

    You should consult the undisputed expert in this field, Post 10.

    • @VanessaScrillions
      @VanessaScrillions 4 года назад +45

      Hahah yes I commented that they should collab!!! I am so obsessed with Post's videos 💜💜💜

    • @Nevir202
      @Nevir202 4 года назад +7

      Exactly 🤣

    • @CNMBTLJN
      @CNMBTLJN 4 года назад +4

      Yes!!!!!!!!!!

    • @dickJohnsonpeter
      @dickJohnsonpeter 4 года назад +18

      I had to look this guy's channel up. He would *love* my neighborhood. It's a floodplain built on canal drained marshland between two rivers that is so low that the water table rises up through the ground causing streets and yards to turn into lakes all over the neighborhood. He'd have a hell of a time finding somewhere to drain the water to! The streets are dotted with pump hoses from the unfortunate people with basements in their homes since their basements are literally underwater. I'm wish my house had a basement but am glad it doesn't.

    • @mandriva4280
      @mandriva4280 4 года назад +8

      You mean Trump, right? Nobody knows more about Culverts than Trump does.

  • @mitchellkleckner5203
    @mitchellkleckner5203 4 года назад +98

    As an environmental engineering student, I just took a class on urban ecology where we talked a whole lot about culverts and other water management infrastructure! While they are an amazing work of engineering from a civil perspective, another unintended consequence downstream can be the increased water velocity. While this is a bigger deal with channelized streams and other, longer, water management infrastructure, having all of the water flow over a smooth, engineered material allows for much greater speeds at the same slope made of soil.
    This can lead to downstream erosion, and in extreme cases, undercutting of the soil along the banks leading to the collapse of the bank into the water--which harms the water quality and decrease overall stream health. When designing the built environment, make sure to remember that we share this planet with all sorts of other life!

    • @dougsundseth6904
      @dougsundseth6904 3 года назад +8

      @Aluzky Sorry, but if you eat the vegetation, that will increase water flow and remove the erosion control provided by plants.
      Breatharian. It's the only way to go.

    • @slitor
      @slitor 3 года назад +3

      @@dougsundseth6904 YAY! Transmetropolitan reference!

    • @jobdylan5782
      @jobdylan5782 2 года назад +1

      i unironically hate you

    • @azizblgadiri4886
      @azizblgadiri4886 2 года назад

      Bf=7%54_2%4_25-/

  • @angelgtrr
    @angelgtrr 4 года назад +137

    Practical Engineering: Culverts.
    Post 10: Let me introduce myself

    • @martind.4339
      @martind.4339 3 года назад +6

      was looking for a post10 comment :D

  • @AutoAddictionMedia
    @AutoAddictionMedia 4 года назад +55

    For some reason, I always find engineering & science stuff about water fascinating! Been here since the beginning of this channel and I actually showed some of your videos to my colleges, like the steamhammer & cavitation videos. (I work as an Operator in a Naphta Cracker chemical plant from SABIC)

  • @sac3528
    @sac3528 4 года назад +466

    "Allow me to introduce you to the US Federal Highway Administration's Hydraulic Design of Highway Culverts, Third Edition."
    Ah, yes, I love it when you talk dirty to me.

    • @MittyNuke1
      @MittyNuke1 4 года назад +30

      Post10 probably has a signed copy

    • @shadowios7033
      @shadowios7033 3 года назад +4

      😂😭

    • @redsquirrelftw
      @redsquirrelftw 3 года назад +10

      I'm so eager for the 4th edition to come out!

    • @TANGUANXU
      @TANGUANXU 3 года назад +1

      @Aluzky lol

    • @jsteinman
      @jsteinman 2 года назад +1

      Culverts know how to get me wet

  • @4seasonsranch246
    @4seasonsranch246 4 года назад +37

    And you didn't even mention culverts designed for fish-bearing streams. Working for WSDOT, I was provided a list of over 5000 culverts on the Olympic Peninsula that needed to be managed, most of which were fish-bearing streams. I ended up writing the software to design the stream beds required for these culverts. That adds a whole new level of design and is worthy of yet another video.
    I always love your videos. Again, a job well done.

    • @Iridium43
      @Iridium43 4 года назад

      4 Seasons Ranch Ideal places for the Indians to put nets..

  • @michaelgian2649
    @michaelgian2649 4 года назад +11

    Nice to see the design nomographs again.
    Got my hydraulic schooling in late 70's.
    Dr. Morgan stressed, with very much emphasis, to never allow a culvert design to experience an hydraulic jump that reaches the soffit.
    Still ingrained over 40 yrs.
    Thanks for all of your wonderful visual renderings of the maths residing in various places in my head. Much appreciated, to be sure.

  • @hokardjo
    @hokardjo 4 года назад +300

    "We need a way to measure water level
    Grady: *sticks googly eyes*
    Then we need to measure quantity of agitation in our structure
    Grady: *sticks googly eyes*
    And don't you find this device is pretty blank ?
    Grady: *sticks googly eyes*
    How do you do that ?"

    • @xXMaxterMineXx
      @xXMaxterMineXx 4 года назад +16

      A true engineer.

    • @Nevir202
      @Nevir202 4 года назад +2

      If you want to see a true lover of google eyes, go check out Device Orchestra 🤣

    • @RoamingAdhocrat
      @RoamingAdhocrat 4 года назад

      CorridorDigital did a video on this some years ago.

    • @jebsaekam
      @jebsaekam 4 года назад

      My CnC router at work has 2 independent single axis accelerometers in perpendicular planes, with a triangular marker denoting the planar transition. Aka, I have googly eyes and a nose on my Cnc head.

    • @PalimpsestProd
      @PalimpsestProd 4 года назад

      what if we need a way to measure googly eyes?

  • @I-Love-Taylor-Swift
    @I-Love-Taylor-Swift 4 года назад +13

    I was amazed at how much difference the flush culvert made compared to the protruding culvert on your demo model. Unbelievable!

  • @Ironworks35
    @Ironworks35 3 года назад +33

    When a guy is wearing a shirt like this and his name is Grady you know he’s a damn good engineer!

  • @dsvollmer
    @dsvollmer 4 года назад +13

    Well done Grady! As a civil engineer who has developed construction plans for culverts for most of my career, I think you did a fantastic job covering this topic from a hydraulic perspective. Suggestion: Roadside safety considerations when it comes to inlet and outlet configurations using end sections, clear zones, obstruction-free zones, and guardrail would make a perfect followup to this video.

  • @DenzCasuela
    @DenzCasuela 4 года назад +664

    A pipe under the road, boring...
    Practical Engineering: wrong

    • @bbsonjohn
      @bbsonjohn 4 года назад +2

      Practical Engineering: look through 300 pages of document for that pipe

    • @hedgehog3180
      @hedgehog3180 4 года назад +12

      The essence of engineering is writing a document the length of a novel about a single pipe under a road.

    • @Alacritous
      @Alacritous 4 года назад +9

      @@hedgehog3180 And not once do they mention what color it should be.

    • @georgesotiroff5080
      @georgesotiroff5080 4 года назад +1

      Dear Alacritous,
      For color, I believe that you would want to consult a landscape architect.

    • @chiphenderson1609
      @chiphenderson1609 4 года назад +5

      @@Alacritous obviously red, red is the fastest color, thus giving you the fastest flow rates.

  • @jeffryblackmon4846
    @jeffryblackmon4846 4 года назад +25

    I took a hydraulics course in college. This is icing on the cake! Thank you.

  • @skatershawn410
    @skatershawn410 4 года назад

    You are just so in-tuned with my life! I'm currently working on a few culvert designs on Thomas Springs Road just outside of ATX!!

  • @snackmaestro
    @snackmaestro 4 года назад +2

    Currently dealing with a culvert issue that’s causing flooding in my back yard. This was...more informative than the construction guy I talked to. Thanks!

  • @android61242
    @android61242 4 года назад +44

    Yet another thing I didn't know I wanted to know about. Thank you m8.

  • @frattman
    @frattman 4 года назад +3

    Dude, you're the best. I've been watching your channel for a year or so and I appreciate it so much. I observe the local culvert every day while walking my dogs - I love how you explain the things that I and most would not think about even as they silently serve us.

  • @SteveGuidi
    @SteveGuidi 3 года назад

    I was out hiking with my family yesterday and noticed a partially buried pipe running under the trail, diverting some water from uphill. I asked everyone if they knew what that was -- "it's a pipe" was the response. Ahem -- now my family knows what a culvert is! Thank you for your continued focus on education, Grady. Keep up the good work!

  • @Seriously_Unserious
    @Seriously_Unserious 2 года назад +12

    This topic made me realize you should really do a collaboration with Post10, Practical Engineering. He does a lot of on the ground work with culverts, and other drainage systems, and you understand a lot of the theory and engineering behind them. You'd be an all star team together!

  • @Fogmeister
    @Fogmeister 4 года назад +26

    Post10 watcher here. I’m something of a pro on Culverts now thanks. 👍🏻

    • @DoktorFrankenstein
      @DoktorFrankenstein 4 года назад +2

      Ha! I was wondering if someone had mentioned post10 already!

  • @adiabd1
    @adiabd1 4 года назад +54

    Culverts?
    Oh those pipes that post10 cleaned

  • @NavyDood21
    @NavyDood21 2 года назад

    I have always found stuff like this to be extremely interesting. However, your channel has made me really appreciate these systems more than I ever have before.

  • @El-Burrito
    @El-Burrito 4 года назад +1

    As a kid I remember always stopping and staring whenever I saw a culvert with lots of rain water flowing through. It's a very peaceful thing to look at and it never crossed my mind how complicated they could be, but they were still fascinating all the same.

  • @PK1312
    @PK1312 4 года назад +15

    I love this channel because it really makes me aware of all the engineering and human effort that's gone into the most basic facets of the constructed world around me. I feel like in another world where I was good at school I would have been a civil engineer

  • @tomc.5704
    @tomc.5704 4 года назад +9

    Those charts that you calculate with a straightedge are amazing! Reminds me of the E6B flight computer "whiz wheel". We had to come up with some amazing shortcuts before we had computers to do it for us

  • @poofoo
    @poofoo 4 года назад

    When I was a wee lad I was absolutely obsessed with culverts. I'd gotten into model trains but I wasn't too big on the trains themselves; the terrain was the most fascinating thing to me. I built little culverts out of foam board, poured plaster culverts, went to the model shop and bought little culvert kits. I don't know why I loved them so much, it was just such an interesting feature of the landscape to me. This video was such a treat! I never knew how complex those unassuming water tubes could be.

  • @kvharker
    @kvharker 3 года назад +2

    My dad is a civil engineer who specializes in culvert design and drainage. I never understood culverts until I stumbled on this video. Absolutely amazing. I appreciate your ability to explain complicated concepts in true layman’s terms. Your other videos are equally fantastic. Much thanks.

    • @LD-xt1vo
      @LD-xt1vo 3 года назад

      I hope you show your dad this video!

  • @DanielMosey
    @DanielMosey 4 года назад +168

    Post10 Needs to enter the chat and teach us all something.

    • @LogiForce86
      @LogiForce86 4 года назад +12

      I was just scrolling down to see who'd mention him first. :p

    • @hamiltonqkarl
      @hamiltonqkarl 4 года назад +7

      having Post10 should be factored into the flow rate of a culvert

    • @MittyNuke1
      @MittyNuke1 4 года назад +1

      @@LogiForce86 Same here lmao

  • @wynwehmeyer8230
    @wynwehmeyer8230 3 года назад +3

    I'm currently in my third year of studying civil engineering(not from the USA) and we use the exact charts that you showed in your video. I hope to work in the transportation industry once I finish my degree. Thanks for the amazing videos.

  • @JenniferFuchek
    @JenniferFuchek 2 года назад +1

    I love how you explain in easy to understand terms and your use of models.
    Thanks, Grady!

  • @michaelnagel2205
    @michaelnagel2205 4 года назад

    As always, I enjoy your in formative delivery and subtle humor. This video casts new light on another aspect of the amazing infrastructure that allows us to live the comfortable that we have.

  • @narayananjayachandran831
    @narayananjayachandran831 4 года назад +30

    You are just amazing... You have made something quite complicated sound mostly simple.... Thank you very much for your efforts. 🙏🙏🙏

    • @FredDufresne
      @FredDufresne 4 года назад +3

      Quite the opposite, he's taking something that everyone think is so simple, tells you why it's complicated, and then brings it back to simple with a succinct explanation.

    • @hoperules8874
      @hoperules8874 4 года назад

      coshur O no!

  • @EdwardTriesToScience
    @EdwardTriesToScience 4 года назад +3

    6:10 This is why I like this channel, serious demos, and occasional goofyness to keep you from being bored.

  • @minecraftcito5979
    @minecraftcito5979 4 года назад

    When I was younger a culvert near my house would fill 1/2 way up during the winter and freeze over, so me and my neighbors would sprint as fast as we can and then dive and we would slide through it. Thanks for bringing back so much fun memories:)

  • @paulcrowshaw4232
    @paulcrowshaw4232 2 года назад

    I love your videos especially this one. I love New England railroad history. There are many abandoned rail lines around me, some have been turned into paved (ugh) bike paths some left natural to be reclaimed by the forest. All of them have culverts that allow the flow of water under the rail embankment. When I walk these and see a brook on both sides of the fill it is time to scamper down the slope and see what structure they built in 1840 or 1850. Most often it is made of cut granite measuring 3'x3' but there are many stone arches that can easily be walked through. Literally a cool thing to do on a hot summer afternoon with the proper gear of course. I think of the effort made by both engineers and stone masons alike so many years ago and I am amazed, but now they only support themselves and some walkers.

  • @kaselier1116
    @kaselier1116 4 года назад +3

    Grady is one of the most amazing science communicators. Somehow against all odds he has me, a person who barely passed the SAT from an abysmal math score, deeply interested in pipes. To the degree where i'm seriously considering skimming a 300 page article on how to put a hole under a road. Incredible.

  • @Kaiwala
    @Kaiwala 4 года назад +9

    When he mentioned mitered culverts my head immediately went to that one Better Call Saul episode in season 5. Some cops are watching for a drug bust, and one of the cops remarks on the name of the culvert itself saying it over and over like it's a foreign language lol.

  • @carljosephfriedrich8919
    @carljosephfriedrich8919 4 года назад +1

    I find these sorts of everyday, underappreciated, "dull" things really fascinating. This was a great watch.

  • @stavroskrause7279
    @stavroskrause7279 2 года назад

    Grady, love your videos! I just designed and built my own house and your videos have helped and been helping me in so many ways. I'm from the US but living in Greece and the engineering support here is lackluster to say the least.
    Thank you so much for everything!

  • @curtiss5606
    @curtiss5606 4 года назад +6

    Grady, you're truly a treasure to the engineering community. Whether it's a client trying to understand a design or trying to teach a young engineer early in their career, I can always count on your channel to explain things accurately and concisely in a manner that everyone can understand. Thanks for what you do.

  • @XLRATEable
    @XLRATEable 4 года назад +54

    1:06: "It would be nice if the landscape between these points were flat, but this is rarely true". Unless you live in The Netherlands, in which case this very much is the norm

    • @MisterNohbdy
      @MisterNohbdy 4 года назад +12

      I grew up in South Florida. Terrain altitude never changed measurably other than the landfill near Fort Lauderdale Airport we all called Mt. Trashmore.

    • @Nargleberry
      @Nargleberry 4 года назад +3

      'Straya

    • @AdamSmith-kq6ys
      @AdamSmith-kq6ys 4 года назад +14

      True enough, but "flat, but under sea level" brings a whole _other_ set of challenges ;)

    • @comancess4639
      @comancess4639 4 года назад +1

      Texas Panhandle ftw

    • @squidwardo7074
      @squidwardo7074 4 года назад

      Unless you live in ____

  • @joshisnot11
    @joshisnot11 4 года назад +2

    Thanks for this!
    I know it’s mundane, but I’ve always been fascinated by culverts as they’re quite prolific here in Oregon and the PNW in general. I’ve grown up seeing them in all configurations and in all levels of rainfall so I’ve walked through massive empty culverts in the summer and seen relatively small culvert exits shooting water at high speeds during heavy rain.
    As a kid, you kinda wonder things like how deep they go and how far they travel, what it’s like for bugs who get sucked into them, etc. so learning all of this stuff really elucidates my lifelong curiosity!

  • @AnttiBrax
    @AnttiBrax 4 года назад +1

    Never thought I would be admiring the modern marvel of a highway culvert, but here I am... Great video.

  • @antikristuseke
    @antikristuseke 4 года назад +6

    When I was doing my mandatory military service in 2008-2009, Estonia, we used culverts to cross roads while remaining harder to see. Not the originally intended use, but works well enough in some cases.

    • @lancelotkillz
      @lancelotkillz 3 года назад

      My bro is a marine for USA and he said when we went to Estonia that everyone was super tall . That no one drinks cold drinks and that theres these weird chocolate cheese candies

    • @antikristuseke
      @antikristuseke 3 года назад +3

      @@lancelotkillz we are a fairly tall people, I'm 6'2, my brother is 6'3, dad is 6'0.
      Don't know about people not drinking cold drinks in the summer people definitely do, but ice usually isn't put in them.
      The chocolate cheese things are really nice snacks, kohuke is the local name for them if you want to look em up.

    • @andreaeray
      @andreaeray 2 года назад +1

      @@lancelotkillz The Dutch are also a tall people.

  • @scherzo7224
    @scherzo7224 4 года назад +44

    90% of comments: Post 10
    9% of comments: MORE POST 10 COMMENTS
    1% of comments: Normal comments

  • @JayLeePoe
    @JayLeePoe 3 года назад

    _my favorite parts of the manual_
    bro, you're too pure for this world

  • @crokiller187
    @crokiller187 4 года назад

    I have installed so many culverts in my life and never understood the engineering behind them until now. Thanks for teaching me something new.

  • @samyakvermani5886
    @samyakvermani5886 4 года назад +9

    Finally someone is talking about the majestic culverts of Spain

  • @STONEDay
    @STONEDay 4 года назад +157

    A: Waterways that are commonly featured on Post10 RUclips user's channel.

    • @F3Ibane
      @F3Ibane 4 года назад +19

      Post10 was the first thing I thought of when I saw this in my feed. Drain it!

    • @brynthomas3129
      @brynthomas3129 4 года назад +7

      Was looking for this comment hehe

    • @deephorizon1365
      @deephorizon1365 4 года назад +5

      Was going to comment this lmao

    • @JonathanKayne
      @JonathanKayne 4 года назад +4

      I would say a lot of the ones in post10's channel are culverts where the government has not been maintaining them too well

    • @Wrugoin13
      @Wrugoin13 4 года назад +4

      The anonymous flood control hero. Love his videos. So satisfying.

  • @diegosalinas2252
    @diegosalinas2252 3 года назад +1

    Awesome videos. I am a Civil EIT in Laredo. Your videos are inspiring me to keep studying for my PE exam since I can visualize the theory behind topics. Thanks!

  • @hernanruiz756
    @hernanruiz756 4 года назад +1

    Another excellent video, it's amazing how these seemingly simple structures have so much engineering behind them

  • @imSUPERcereal0
    @imSUPERcereal0 4 года назад +6

    I finally understand why the yard, at my old house as a kid, would always flood. We had a poorly designed culvert.

  • @samsngdevice5103
    @samsngdevice5103 4 года назад +17

    You: Whats a culver?
    Me: Home of the delicious butter burger and concrete mixer.
    Grady: Slaps forhead.

  • @zacharyweiner6423
    @zacharyweiner6423 4 года назад

    Thank you so much for taking the time to make these very informative videos. You do a great job of simplifying complex engineering problems and solutions. The visual aids and animations are fantastic. Please keep up the great work. Thanks again!

  • @1945d18
    @1945d18 2 года назад

    This brings back memories. One of my manuals in my library was the book with the nomographs. Used it many times. Left it for the young engineers when I retired. Now it is all computer programs, course my college education through my MS degree was all slide rules and did not see a handheld calculator till my first job. Times have changed.

  • @jdrissel
    @jdrissel 3 года назад +3

    One of my uncles was a surveyor and a civil engineer. He was hired to plat out a small subdivision around a golf course. Because he could, when he turned in the papers he also marked where culverts needed to be and how big they needed to be if an area was going to be filled. The main entry was a whopper. A huge area outside the development drained across the temporary road that was in place to get the golf course and it's infrastructure built. He calculated that they needed at least 4 6' culverts to survive a 20 year flood, the then current code minimum. He suggested that a bridge would be better both esthetically and practically as it would also eliminate a golf cart path crossing the main entrance road. The developer ignored this and had some 4' culvert delivered. My uncle told him, and followed up in writing both to him and the county that 4 4' culverts would wash out on average every 5 years and did not meet code. They built a grand entrance gate and only installed 3 of the 4 culverts. The road washed out 2 months later, taking the grand entrance gate with it and the water backed up and flooded the $4M clubhouse before the road washed out. When the road gave way the water ripped the clubhouse off its foundation and tore it to bits. They tried to sue him over that and lost big time. The development failed and to this day some 40 years later there is nothing there but some dried up golf hazards and the foundation of a $4M clubhouse. When you hire good people, make sure you listen to them. Had the just left the road on the temporary road's grade it would have flooded the road and maybe washed away some of the pavement, but the clubhouse and the grand entrance gate would have been fine and the development might have succeeded.

    • @LD-xt1vo
      @LD-xt1vo 3 года назад

      Respect to your uncle!

  • @AhmedOnly1
    @AhmedOnly1 4 года назад +16

    nice video. After watching this my recommendation is now full of Post 10 videos.

  • @abucket14
    @abucket14 4 года назад

    these kind of videos are why i love Practical Engineering. probably going to check out that USDOTFHWA vid too because water physics always interests me.

  • @infernomunky
    @infernomunky 4 года назад

    Been watching alot of culvert videos lately ... so glad one is finally yours!

  • @howtobebasic2122
    @howtobebasic2122 4 года назад +163

    who watches post 10's videos of him clearing culverts and drains.

    • @jrstf
      @jrstf 4 года назад +5

      Pretty much everybody, that's why RUclips brought us here.

    • @GarrusN7
      @GarrusN7 4 года назад +2

      Ah I see you're a man of culture as well.

    • @iGAGGA25
      @iGAGGA25 4 года назад +2

      Yeah, I thought of him :D

    • @Billbert
      @Billbert 4 года назад +1

      yes!! i was thinking how much he would love this video lol

    • @mmgubin
      @mmgubin 3 года назад

      Me

  • @whoeveriam0iam14222
    @whoeveriam0iam14222 4 года назад +46

    but who keeps culverts clean? Post10

    • @blipco5
      @blipco5 4 года назад +2

      whoeveriam0iam14222 ...👍 I sent post10 the link. I hope he sees it.

    • @whoeveriam0iam14222
      @whoeveriam0iam14222 4 года назад +2

      @@blipco5 I mostly hope people check out his channel coming from this channel/video. such satisfying videos when he cleans up the flood

    • @MittyNuke1
      @MittyNuke1 4 года назад +1

      @@whoeveriam0iam14222 What an age we live in when a dude who clears storm drains becomes an internet celebrity. Thinking about it, that's one of the AWESOME things about the age we live in 😂

  • @alex09384
    @alex09384 2 года назад

    I love your videos. I learn something new every watch. As child i used to just call al these Culverts mini bridges. It's actually really fascinating to learn all the differences and complexity of it. Another great video!

  • @spearhead30
    @spearhead30 4 года назад

    Thanks again Grady! I always look forward to your videos.

  • @coltafanan
    @coltafanan 4 года назад +36

    "I'll use these googly eyes to mark height of the water."
    Me: *cries with joy*

  • @lowellmayfield5736
    @lowellmayfield5736 4 года назад +89

    "Cul - Vert.. Cul - Vert.... Sounds like the Dutch word for 'Crotch Rot.'" Sorry, couldn't resist.

    • @LDaniel_BDuce
      @LDaniel_BDuce 4 года назад +2

      lowell mayfield
      If you get a dead rat caught in a fields 3 inch culver it smells like crotch rot

    • @Xenobork
      @Xenobork 4 года назад +19

      "Nobody ever walked around talking about the majestic culverts of Spain!"
      "..Who the hell goes around talking about majestic culverts?"

    • @mark-ish
      @mark-ish 4 года назад +8

      [scrolling through comments to find this] 😄

    • @sibsbubbles
      @sibsbubbles 4 года назад +3

      Damn it someone already beat me to it! lol. I love that show, too.

    • @MrKoemgun
      @MrKoemgun 4 года назад +7

      Well when you write it that way ... in french what you are writing means "Green ass" XD

  • @danvisan7017
    @danvisan7017 Год назад

    Hey. I watched a few of your videos and i find it amazing that you also give the source of each topic.

  • @mediocreman6323
    @mediocreman6323 4 года назад

    This is what I love about this channel, it gives you a glimpse of the level of technology and complexity we are surrounded by every day, how much knowledge, how much ingenuity goes into the seemingly simplest things, which is the real reason for our high living standard. We can do things with an efficiency nowadays that people a century ago (if you even have to go back that far) could have only dreamed of, and if you have, let's say, five things that are connected, and every step takes only 90% of the effort it took before, you end up with 60% of the expense you had before. _That_ is the true power of engineering. And if you ever e.g. did your personal laundry by hand instead of just using a washing machine, you will understand this even on a personal level.
    So, thank you, engineers and scientists of this world!

  • @TheBookerDeWitt
    @TheBookerDeWitt 4 года назад +44

    Hey just so you know there is a channel called "What is Engineering" that is literally stealing all youre videos

  • @deephorizon1365
    @deephorizon1365 4 года назад +43

    I already know what a culvert is and how much they fail from Post 10 😂

    • @SeanFerree
      @SeanFerree 4 года назад +1

      I hear ya 😁😁😁😁

  • @scotttimmons61
    @scotttimmons61 3 года назад +1

    I notice so much more in the world the more I learn from this channel and channels like it. Keep up the good work 🤙

  • @jiggidyjam
    @jiggidyjam 2 года назад

    I’ve built house off and on most of my life and I truly learned something watching this that will make my skills better on job sites. Thanks a lot Grady and please keep them coming

  • @nab004
    @nab004 Год назад +8

    This is so wonderfully done. Thank you very much.

  • @bcikablam3578
    @bcikablam3578 4 года назад +7

    2:47
    (page intentionally left blank)
    I wonder how many of those there are

  • @ElliLavender
    @ElliLavender Год назад

    My hometown/village has a little dog park with a bunch of culverts. I spent a lot of time there with my friends as child/teen and ofc these mysterious pipes were fascinating to us. One of my favorite memories is when we crawled through one of them that was just a backup for lower and smaller culvert. We also figured out that two pipes that went under two streets and a bunch of houses were connected to each other by having one person scream into one end and the other listening on the other end haha. Culverts are weirdly nostalgic to me!

  • @Yojimbokun
    @Yojimbokun 3 года назад

    This is so cool. This channel has been a blessing. Endless entertainment. I could watch these for hours.

  • @tonybobay6276
    @tonybobay6276 4 года назад +6

    Nobody:
    Practical Engineering: Has favorite portions of a 320 page book on highway culverts

  • @MrQuickLine
    @MrQuickLine 4 года назад +30

    This should have been a collab with post10.

  • @jhwblender
    @jhwblender 4 года назад

    I love turning on subtitles for your videos. I get extra insights sometimes and even a joke or two that was left out.

  • @francisleonetti1120
    @francisleonetti1120 2 года назад +1

    I love how this channel opens people’s eyes to what true infrastructure is and how vital it is for our country!

  • @Stars11222
    @Stars11222 4 года назад +8

    normal people: a pipe under the road is boring
    Post10: Would like to know your location

  • @firstname_lastname3507
    @firstname_lastname3507 4 года назад +3

    I think everyone had wanted to crawl through one of these bad boys at some point 😂

  • @jmchaica75
    @jmchaica75 2 года назад

    I specially liked the mention of the "Hydraulic Design of Highway Culverts" manual. Very interesting for those, like me, that take more than just an interest in this subject. Well done!

  • @eugene188
    @eugene188 4 года назад

    I too love those charts that make calculations so simple. The people who made those kinds of charts back in the day...so smart!