Steel gates are movable water-retaining structures primarily made of steel materials (such as low-carbon steel plates or stainless steel), mainly used for flow regulation and water level control in hydraulic engineering, municipal, and industrial applications.
Structural Composition
Steel gates primarily consist of three parts:
Gate Leaf Structure: Includes the skin plate, support and travel system (main wheels, side wheels, and counter wheels), and rubber waterstop devices. The skin plate adopts a lattice design, with small gates being integrally cast and medium to large gates assembled in sections.
Embedded Components: Main tracks, lintels, sills, and other parts anchored to secondary concrete via anchor bolts.
Hoisting Equipment: Equipped with winch-type or screw-type hoists depending on the gate type, with a maximum hoisting capacity of up to 50 kN.
Materials and Corrosion Protection
The main material is Q235B low-carbon steel or stainless steel (e.g., models 304, 201). Surface treatment includes sandblasting to Sa2.5 cleanliness, hot-dip galvanizing with a thickness ≥120 μm, and epoxy coal tar paint for corrosion protection.
Sealing materials use foam rubber, with a compressive strength of up to 1.6 MPa and waterstop gaps controlled to ≤0.1 mm.
Types and Functions
Categorized into three types by structure:
Fixed Wheel Flat Gate: The gate leaf moves vertically, suitable for water heads ≤8 meters, commonly used in river regulation.
Radial Steel Gate: Operates by rotating around a hinge axis, often used in large open-spillway hydropower stations.
Integrated Gate and Hoist: Combines the hoisting mechanism, serving as a replacement for high-pressure gate valves and enabling automated control.
Application Fields
Widely used in reservoir hubs, river regulation, pumping stations, municipal flood control, and agricultural irrigation. Typical applications include integrated measurement and control gates in smart water management systems, which can improve channel water use efficiency by 6%-9%.
Installation and Maintenance
Transportation requires horizontal placement to prevent deformation. The installation process includes verifying embedded part positions (error ≤3 mm), adjusting gate clearances, and conducting joint tests of the hoisting equipment. Maintenance involves replenishing lubricant every six months and replacing rubber waterstops every three years.