Evaluation Form Evaluator Information Name: Jeff Hagan Date: Feb. 17, 2000 Software Information Title of Software: CulvertMaster Purpose: Culvert Hydraulic Design Publisher: Haestad Methods, Inc. Version: 1.0 Year Published: 1996 Affiliate Software: Platform(s): Win95 WinNT Computer: IBM Media: Floppy Disk & CD-ROM System Requirements: Required: 486DX-33, 8MB RAM, HDD w. 20 MB free, VGA, Win95. Recommended: Pentium 60, 16 MB RAM, SVGA, Win95 or NT Availability: online – publisher’s web site. Required Extras Additional Required Hardware: None. Additional Required Software: None for regular operation, text editor required to add new culvert sizes/materials in the material.ini file. Installation and Set-up Comments Installation Documentation & Installation Instructions The program relies on setup program to guide the user. Instructions give just enough information to launch the setup program. The setup program is self-explanatory. Installation Speed Approx. 2-3 minutes Configuration Options - install path must end with “CVM” directory the only configuration option is imperial or metric default for measurement units (NB: this option can be changed in the program while running) no option given to change placement in Start menu from default Instructions and Feedback Yes Error Notification Tutorial Available Help Menu Available Technical Support Available No Comments Error notification is given for some, but not all. For example input errors are not reported. Error messages are sometimes cryptic, but usually fairly clear. Three separate tutorials; “One Minute Tutorial”, Design Tutorial, & Analysis Tutorial “One minute tutorial” is for users who are unfamiliar with PCs/Windows in general. Design and Analysis tutorials show the basic features of the program, but do not show the user the intricacies of the program. Searchable Help Menu, plus context sensitive help buttons on most windows Fairly easy to find answers to most questions quickly The help menu is intended to be the main information source for the user about the program – it includes all the information in, and goes beyond, the User’s Guide. Provides information on theories & equations used for calculation Phone, fax, web, email – Contact Info is in the User’s Guide. Company web site has little in the way of troubleshooting information, but information on how to contact tech support is easy to find Option on CD to send software publisher a file. Not very well explained, but seems to be for troubleshooting problems with program data files. Prompt response when tech support contacted by email Program Functionality Printing Capabilities Amount of Data Entry Required Ease of Navigation Comments Standard reports & graphs. No formatting options. User is given choice of what data to plot on graphs and in rating tables. No options with reports. Will calculate some data automatically, e.g. elevations/slopes, otherwise data requirements equivalent to hand calculation. Program is laid out logically. Navigation is easy once reasonably familiar with the program. This is one area where the tutorial is helpful. Disk/CD Required For Use Disk or CD not required after program is installed Save Output Files Data files can be saved, but output files (reports, etc.) cannot be saved separately. Save-Name Limitations - Only 8 characters allowed. Spaces allowed. Rainfall data table & equation files limited to 8.3 format. Files must use the default 3-letter extension for the file type. Modelling Capabilities Yes No DMM Reference Comments Hydrologic Program has limited hydrologic modelling capability: can calculate peak flow based on analysis by Rational or SCS Peak Discharge Methods for upstream watershed Single Event Only uses IDF curves/tables Continuous Event Only uses IDF curves/tables Rational Method No limitations stated for use of method Rainfall Data Accepted Accepts data in the following forms: Equations for rainfall I-D-F curves (3 eq’n types are allowed –Rainfall I-D-F table Can calculate rainfall table based on National Weather Service Hydro-35 method (Imperial units only) Applicable Reference in DMM Page # Users Guide Page # Land Use: Urban 8.39-8.42 3-4, 3-9 Rural 8.39-8.42 3-4, 3-9 5.38, 8.1258.128 3-24 Description Infiltration Temperature Evapotranspiration Subsurface Flow Water Balance Water Quality Hydrograph Method Routing: Channel Reservoir Water Quality Major/Minor System 3-27 – 330 Receiving Water Uses tailwater level/downstream channel characteristics in calculations Input/Output: Accept External Input Files N/A 3-6 Produce Output Files N/A 3-6 Accepts proprietary format rainfall data files (.TBL) and rainfall equation files (.EQN) from other projects generated by CulvertMaster. Produces proprietary format rainfall data and equation files (.TBL & .EQN). Applicable Reference in DMM Page # Users Guide Page # Description Uses methodologies set forth in Hydraulic Design Series No. 5, Hydraulic Design of Highway Culverts (1985), prepared for the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (User’s Guide, p. 3-10) Hydraulic Flow Conditions: Steady The program assumes steady flow conditions exist in the system. 8.92 Unsteady Uniform 8.92 Gradually Varied 8.92 3-29 – 330 3-10, 3-15, 3-18, 3-22 – 323, 3-29 – 330 Direct step & standard step methods are used in the culvert analysis. User’s Guide states that rapidly varied flow exists in culverts, but does not explicitly say that the program solves for this type of flow. Rapidly Varied Subcritical Supercritical 8.92 5.10, 8.97, 8.99 5.10, 8.97, 8.99 3-10, 3-21 The program can handle hydraulic jumps within the culvert, but will not specifically state to the user that a jump has occurred, or where it occurred. 3-15 3-15 Two Dimensional Tractive Force Energy 8.93-8.94 3-18 – 324 Momentum 8.102 3-21 Structures Modelled: Channels Circular Rectangular Triangular Trapezoidal 8.1108.115 8.1108.115 8.1108.115 3-29 3-29 Methods used: direct step standard step Manual states that the program can handle hydraulic jumps, but no mention is made of the momentum method. The program appears to account for hydraulic jumps properly, but does not output information to user (see above, “Rapidly Varied”). Applicable Irregular Reference in DMM Page # 8.1108.115 Users Guide Page # Description 3-29 Culverts Culverts Inlet Control Outlet Control Accept Multiple Cross Section 3.443.49, 5.175.18, 5.335.42, 5.1605.164 8.1348.136 8.134, 8.137 3-10 – 323, 3-29 – 330 Culvert analysis and design is the primary purpose of the program. 3-11 – 313 3-14 N/A 1-1 - Analysis mode will accept unlimited number of culverts, each with different cross section and material characteristics. 8.121 8.123, 8.125 8.127 3-24 Types of weirs supported by program: broad crested weir roadway overtopping Inlets and Gutters Gutter Grate Inlet Curb Inlet Combination Inlet Slot Inlet Ditch Inlet Pipes Stormsewers Pressure Pipes Weirs and Orifices Sharp Crested Weirs Other Weirs Orifices Energy Dissipaters Chutes Stilling Basins Vertical Drops Ice/Debris Ice Flow Debris Flow Input/Output: Applicable Reference in DMM Page # Users Guide Page # Accept External Input Files 3-6 Produce Output Files 3-6 Description Accepts proprietary format rainfall data & equation files (.TBL, .EQN). Produces proprietary format rainfall data & equation files (.TBL, .EQN). Cannot produce output files (other than regular .CVM data files) based on culvert data. Water Surface Profile Velocity Profile Rating Curves Can produce plots of the following: Headwater Elevation Tailwater Elevation Discharge (Individual Elements or Total) Inlet Control HW Elev. (Indiv. Culvert) Outlet Control HW Elev. (Indiv. Culvert) Downstream Velocity (Indiv. Culvert) Downstream Depth (Indiv. Culvert) Rating Tables Produces Rating Tables of same data as above. Cross Section Flow Distribution Options: Tributary Profile Multiple Profile Automatic Calibration Model Evaluation Summary Yes No Comments Applicable to MTO Additional Comments The only place where the control type or flow regime is specified is the report form. This can only be seen by using print preview or by actually printing off the form. The default n values for materials do not conform to values used in the DMM, but CulvertMaster allows users to change these values from the defaults. Culvert Calculations: Inlet control Headwater elevation is computed using the actual equations that the nomographs in the DMM are based on and therefore include a slope correction element. Nomographs in the DMM are assuming a slope of 0.02 m/m. Rational Method Calculations: If negative area values are input by the user, the program ignores negative areas in calculations – it treats them as if they do not exist. If a C value greater than 1 is input by the user, the program displays an error message, but still uses the value in calculations. If a negative C value is input by the user, the program displays an error message, and the weighted C value for the catchment area becomes zero. Additional culvert or inlet sizes or materials can be added by editing the file MATERIAL.INI (found in the same folder as the CVM directory) with a text editor. Instructions on how to add items are located within the file itself. This method is not very intuitive, and prone to error by incorrectly inputting data. Note: If a culvert size entry in the Material.ini file is altered, culverts of the effected type, material and size revert back to the default size for the culvert material and type (usually the smallest). Figure 1: Sample input windows