Behavior of Cast‐Iron Spillway Gate Wheels

The vertical lift fixed‐wheel gate is a common type of control gate found at hydroelectric generating stations. The material used for the wheels of such gates ranges from cast iron for the older vintage stations to alloy and low‐carbon steels in more modern stations. In recent years, several cast‐iron wheels on such gates have failed in service. An experimental program, sponsored by Manitoba Hydro, was undertaken at the University of Manitoba to study the performance characteristics of cast‐iron wheels and to determine their failure capacity under static loading conditions. Eleven 685‐mm‐diameter cast‐iron wheels obtained from a spillway gate at the McArthur Falls Generating Station in Manitoba were tested to failure under radial and a combination of radial and lateral loads. The material properties were obtained from standard coupon testing. In addition to the experimental work, the elastic behavior of cast‐iron gate wheels was investigated using the ANSYS finite‐element (FE) program. The results from the experimental program and the finite‐element analysis were compared to the results predicted by current design criteria and a number of recommendations for improving these criteria were made.