Study of Hydraulic Operation of Self-Operating Gate Using 3d Printing

In Mexico the hydraulic infrastructure for the operation of the main irrigation canals presents a certain technological delay, in general it is constituted by gates and control structures traditional and manually operated, so there is little experience in the topic of channel automation. This, among other aspects, opens a space of opportunity to resume the study, adaptation and development of self-operating gates, which in the field of research and technology development can be diversified and made more flexible by correctly implementing printing of experimental elements in 3D. Under this order of ideas and in order to encourage and take advantage of the use and facilities offered by this type of printing in the field of hydraulics, it was designed, printed, adapted and validated in the Enzo Levi hydraulic laboratory of the Mexican Institute of Water Technology, an electrofluidic gate for level control in irrigation canals, which is in the process of patent registration.

To efficiently perform the printing of the gate, first, the type of material and the thicknesses with which it will be formed was specified. For this particular case, the lactic polyacid (PLA or polylactic acid) was the appropriate material for the 3D printing of the gate. In addition it was verified that under different scenarios due to change of flow or manual alteration in its operation, the gate kept the control of the required levels upstream. In this way it was demonstrated that the experimental model generated satisfies the expected operating conditions; which confirms that 3D printing, supported by an appropriate design and a strict selection of materials and control of their physical characteristics, including their density, has a high degree of reliability and great potential for application for development and experimental research in the field of hydraulics. This experience, without a doubt, can be transferred for the design and construction of prototypes to be installed in channels; and, in this particular case, to design and print self-operating gates according to the physical conditions and operating practices prevailing in the irrigation canals in Mexico.