gate

hydraulic engineering
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

gate, in hydraulic engineering, movable barrier for controlling the passage of fluid through a channel or sluice. River and canal locks have a pair of gates at each end. When closed, the gates meet at an obtuse angle that points upstream in order to resist the water pressure. When opened, they swing into recesses in the walls of the lock. Gates also regulate the outflow of water from storage reservoirs and through, around, or over dams. Leaf gates, planes perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow, open either by swinging about one hinged side or by sliding upward. Radial gates are segments of cylinders that lift entirely clear of the water. The rolling gate, often used on the crest of a dam, is raised by rolling it up the inclined face of a pier.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.