Assessment of Time of Concentration Formulas for Overland Flow

Abstract

Despite the importance of overland time of concentration on the design discharge, engineers are often bewildered by the array of formulas available in the literature without knowing the accuracy of each formula. This assessment covers nine formulas published between 1946 and 1993, which are intended for overland flow only that is subjected to uniform rain. The assessment compares the estimates from the formulas with experimental values that are derived under the same conditions for two surfaces: concrete and grass. The assessment shows that formulas that do not account for the rainfall intensity are only valid for a limited range of rainfall intensities. The formulas that account for the rainfall intensity generally show better agreement with the experimental data. Finally, the assessment gives two rankings of the formulas for the two surfaces in accordance to their accuracy as compared to the experimental data. The formula that has the best accuracy for both surfaces is the Chen and Wong formula.