12 May 2026

Barge Arrest System for Dams on Inland Waterways: Design Criteria

Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), through the Navigation Systems Research Program, has begun developing a barge arrest system to reduce the damage and recovery costs of allisions (impact events) at US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) lock and dam (L&D) sites. This development effort addresses a need for a mitigation strategy to address allisions from uncontrolled, breakaway barges following accidents that occur on a relatively frequent basis near USACE L&D sites summarized in the USACE Statement of Need 1974. These allisions have caused millions of dollars in recovery and repair costs to both the L&D structure and to navigation industry property (USACE 2005). In extreme situations, barge impacts to multiple gates have inhibited USACE’s ability to regulate water levels. This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) describes the general problem and findings from an initial design charette conducted with USACE subject matter experts (SMEs) across various technical disciplines. This initial design charette focused on the identification of design criteria for the prototype design and potential case study sites.

20 Apr 2026

New Poe Lock Emergency Closure System Physical Model Study

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)–Detroit District (LRE) has begun the process of designing a new emergency bulkhead for Poe Lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and has requested assistance from the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, in determining the hydraulic loads the bulkhead will experience during operation. The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center has constructed a 1:25 scale physical hydraulic model to estimate the hydraulic forces on the bulkhead and pressure on the bulkhead sill during lowering operations. Multiple bulkhead lowering speeds and bulkhead lip designs have been tested over the course of the study. This report provides time histories of the hydraulic loads and bulkhead pressures throughout the bulkhead lowering operations. These results will inform the design of the emergency bulkhead and the size of its operating equipment.

15 Apr 2026

Field Evaluation of the Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent (ABCD): Hydrodynamic, Navigation, and Fish Response Effects

Abstract: The escape and subsequent spread of invasive carp (notably, bighead carp [Hypophthalmichthys nobilis] and silver carp [H. molitrix]) from aquaculture ponds and sewage lagoons into the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers poses a significant risk to further spread of these fish into the Great Lakes. Prior research demonstrated that commercial tows can transport juvenile invasive carp through locks and other barriers to fish migration. A recent physical model study recommended a linear array of bubble diffusers, the Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent (ABCD), for further evaluation in mitigating the transport of small fish in commercial tows. The present field study evaluated the ABCD for navigation safety and barge junction flushing capacity. An instrumented commercial tow executed 119 lock approaches with the ABCD both operating and idle. Pilot interviews and tow trajectory analysis indicated no significant navigation safety issues. The measured velocity data, fish recapture data, and a simple fish displacement model indicated that the ABCD produced sufficient flow to expel all passive objects and many small juvenile invasive carp. However, the ABCD is less likely to expel large juvenile invasive carp due to their stronger swimming ability. The ABCD and two alternative configurations prove strong contenders for further development and application.

24 Mar 2026

LaGrange Lock and Dam Navigation Study: Ship Simulation Results

Abstract: Located at River Mile 80.2, approximately 8 mi south of Beardstown, Illinois, the LaGrange Lock and Dam is a wicket gate structure with a single tainter gate to control pool elevation. LaGrange was constructed in the 1930s to aid navigation on the Illinois River. Due to increased commercial traffic, its existing 600 ft lock is now inadequate. To address this, the US Army Corps of Engineers' Rock Island District and the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) studied the feasibility of adding a new 1,200 ft lock chamber. Initial physical model studies were conducted between 2009 and 2010 and continued in 2023. In 2024, the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) used the ERDC Watercraft and Ship Simulator for a feasibility study focusing on the approaches to the new lock. The goal was to assess the navigability of the proposed design under various conditions. By analyzing simulator data and pilot feedback, CHL worked to confirm the design's feasibility and ensure its construction would not adversely affect the existing structure, which will remain as an auxiliary chamber.

13 Mar 2026

John H. Overton Lock and Dam, Red River: Lower Navigation Approach Physical Model

Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (ERDC-CHL) conducted a physical model study of the John H. Overton Lock and Dam to optimize the navigation conditions in the lower lock approach. ERDC built a 1:100 Froude scale model to evaluate the navigation conditions for tows entering and exiting the lower lock approach. The final design consisted of two submerged rock dikes implemented approximately 1,500 and 3,000 ft downstream of the dam’s crest. The larger submerged rock dike was parallel to the channel, located in a scoured area at the downstream end of the riprap channel bed, and contained a crest elevation of approximately 15 ft, North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). The smaller submerged rock dike extended from the most upstream end of the first rock dike, diagonally crossing the channel to the right-descending bank, and contained a crest elevation of approximately 30 ft, NAVD 88. The model provided data regarding tow tracks, current direction, and velocity information for various possible optimizations to the dam’s lower lock approach.

29 Jan 2026

Composite Materials for Sector Gates and Vertical Lift Gates: Report of FY22–FY24 Project Outcomes

Abstract: This project supported a Statement of Need (SON) submitted to the Navigation Research Area Review Group: SON 2021-1505 by David Weston, Business Line Manager for Inland Navigation (INAV) and Flood Risk Management (FRM) at Jacksonville District. The goal of this study was to provide design guidance, criteria, and performance standards for professionals to use in the design, retrofit, maintenance, and repair of Canaveral sector gates and W. P. Franklin vertical lift gates using structural grade fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. The results also contribute to guidance documentation used for Hydraulic Composite Structures at other INAV structures. Our work focused on four main subject areas: direct field support, workforce education, structural connection design and modal analysis, and inspection guidance. As this research project progressed through three FYs in coordination with stakeholders across the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and industry, the Inland Navigation Design Center (INDC) and the Jacksonville District gained competency in hydraulic composite structures design techniques, which enabled their successful award of a contract for composite bulkheads at Port Mayaca and vertical lift gates at W. P. Franklin.

9 Jan 2026

Design of River Training Structures Using Isogeomorphic Constraints

Abstract: Prepared for the Mississippi River Geomorphology and Potamology program of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), through the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), this report introduces the concept of river control structure design using isogeomorphic constraints. The report defines isogeomorphic design methodology and demonstrates the application of the methodology using both analytic and numerical examples. The examples investigated herein are idealized, and application to real-world conditions (such as a dike-field) would be far more complex than what is demonstrated herein. This report merely serves as an introduction to a novel design paradigm that future studies can further investigate and refine with the ultimate objective of developing improved design guidance for USACE.

5 Nov 2025

Physical Modeling of Filling and Emptying (F&E) Systems of Proposed 1,200 ft Chambers at Locks 22 and 25: Hydraulic Model Investigation

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is considering navigation improvements for several projects to meet predicted increases in tow traffic at the Lock and Dam 22 and Lock and Dam 25 sites in the Mississippi river. Some of these improvements include the addition or replacement of the navigation lock at the site. The following document contains the laboratory model investigations of the lock filling and emptying (F&E) system for additions at the sites. This report provides the results of research testing under the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP). The design guidance includes culvert geometry, port size, location, and spacing. Guidance for the lock chamber performance, based on acceptable filling and emptying operations is also included. The results show that the original design is a feasible design based on the hydraulic performance of the system as a result of the experimental tests. Further discussions with the St. Louis District (CEMVS) arrived at a new culvert to port transition design that was more in line with the existing geometry at Lock and Dam 25. The new design and port spacing configuration were agreed by CEMVS and ERDC to not have significant impact on hawser forces or the overall chamber performance.

15 Oct 2025

Use of Chirp Sub-bottom Acoustic Profiling to Assess the Integrity of the Submerged Portion of the Jonesville Lock and Dam, Located at Jonesville, Louisiana

Abstract: Jonesville Lock and Dam serves as a critical navigation conduit along the Black River in Louisiana. The structure has previously been impacted by localized scour, leading to concerns regarding the structure’s long-term integrity and an effort to stabilize the structure with targeted fill efforts. Despite these efforts, operators continued to observe localized water and sediment swirls and boils during high-flow events, suggesting that scour is still an ongoing concern. Recent research suggests that shallow acoustic sub-bottom mapping might be able to identify ongoing or historical scour along and underneath concrete structures, and that technique was evaluated at Jonesville. Sub-bottom profiles revealed density anomalies along the inside, eastern wall of the lock structure and underneath both the lock floor and the wall. These anomalies are interpreted to represent an erosional surface created by ephemeral scour events, with subsequent infilling of homogenous, fine-grained sand. The complex geology on which Jonesville is constructed likely contributes to the localized scour observed at this navigation facility.

14 Oct 2025

Literature on the Load Distributions for Effects on Hydraulic Steel Structures: Notes on Existing Literature for Establishing LRFD Load Factors

Abstract: Previous to 1993 Hydraulic Steel Structures (HSS) were designed using Allowable Stress Design (ASD); modern design, has transitioned to Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) method, which targets a probability of a limit state. To implement LRFD, an understanding of the probability distributions of the loads applied to the structure, the resistances of the components of the structure, and the approximate durations and overlapping of these loads must be determined. The loads applied to HSS are dissimilar to loads applied to buildings or roads, so existing distributions cannot be applied to this problem. Any attempts to implement LRFD without these distributions will result in designs that do not target the probability of reaching a limit state. The USACE has adapted LRFD load combinations and factors to encompass the different geometry, force and displacement conditions, and environments present in HSS. This work collects literature for load effects on HSS to determine either probabilistic distributions or what loads sufficiently unknown to necessitate new research. Because the loads the HSS are subject to are dissimilar to other designed structures, these load distributions cannot be taken from them directly. Loads considered are hydrodynamic, barge impacts, debris impacts, ice expansion, seismic, wind, and waves.