Development of the Automatic Turnout

자동 분수공의 개발

Floating-type automatic turnout was developed for the purpose of reducing labor cost and labor-working hours related to turnout management. The point of automation is to use a flexible-float within the turnout. The weight of float is changed by emptying and filling with water at the beginning and ending of irrigation. The turnout is controlled to open and close small bole on the float bottom using electromagnets. With the weight control of float. the gate of turnout is opened by the empty float to begin irrigatiom and is closed by the filled float to stop irrigation. The turnout was designed to be operated by the main computer and to minimize electric power consumption by sending an electric current at the beginning and ending of irrigation. The functional experiment was succesfully carried out and the rating curves for both free overflow condition and submerged flow condition were derived.