Tainter gate

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Side view cut-away diagram of the radial arm of the Tainter gate, Ice Harbor Dam, Snake River, Pasco, Washington (USACE)
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Side view cut-away diagram of the radial arm of the Tainter gate, Ice Harbor Dam, Snake River, Pasco, Washington (USACE)
Tainter gate from the back, or spillway, on the John H. Kerr Dam, Boydton, Virginia (USACE)
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Tainter gate from the back, or spillway, on the John H. Kerr Dam, Boydton, Virginia (USACE)
Tainter gate being constructed, in 1936, on the upper Mississippi River, Lock and Dam No. 7 (Onalaska Dam), La Crescent, Minnesota (USACE)
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Tainter gate being constructed, in 1936, on the upper Mississippi River, Lock and Dam No. 7 (Onalaska Dam), La Crescent, Minnesota (USACE)

The Tainter gate is a type of radial arm floodgate used in dams and canal locks to control water flow. It is named for Wisconsin structural engineer Jeremiah Burnham Tainter.[1].

A side view of a Tainter gate resembles a slice of pizza with the crust facing the source or upper pool of water and a triangle pointing toward the destination or lower pool. The face or skinplate of the gate takes the form of a cut cylinder. Triangular arms extend back from each end of the cylinder section and meet at a trunnion which serves as a pivot point when the gate rotates.[2]

When a Tainter gate is closed, water bears on the convex (upstream) side. When the gate is rotated opened, the rush of water passing under the gate helps to open and close the gate. The rounded face, long radial arms and trunnion bearings allow it to close under its own weight. Tainter gates are usually controlled from above with a chain/gearbox/electric motor assembly.

A critical factor in Tainter gate design is the amount of stress transferred from the skinplate through the radial arms and to the trunnion and the resulting friction encountered when raising or lowering the gate. Some older systems have had to be modified to mitigate frictional forces not planned for.[3]

The Tainter gate is used in water control dams and locks worldwide. The Upper Mississippi River basin alone has 321 Tainter gates, and the Columbia River basin has 195.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b The Tainter Gate. Dunn County Historical Society. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
  2. ^ Fox Point Hurricane Barrier. Providence RI Dept. of Public Works. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
  3. ^ Tuttle Creek Dam Spillway Tainter Gates (PDF). Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District (June 2001). Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
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