Helena Frye
Locks are used to raise and lower boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels. They were built to enable canals to cross hills and make rivers more easily navigable. Locks are simple to operate: for a boat travelling downstream, the entrance gates are opened and the boat moves in. The entrance gates are closed, a valve is opened, and water is drained from the chamber, lowering the boat. The exit gates are then opened and the boat moves out. For a boat travelling upstream, the process is reversed.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways |
| Function | A fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied |
| Process | A boat enters the lock, the gate is closed, water is either drained or allowed to enter the chamber, and the boat exits the lock at a different level |
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What You'll Learn
The process of raising and lowering boats
Locks are devices used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to cross land that is not level.
If a boat is travelling upstream, the process is reversed. The boat enters the empty lock, and then the chamber is filled by opening a valve that allows water to enter the chamber from the upper level. Once the level in the lock reaches the correct height, the upper gate can be fully opened, and the boat can continue on its way.
The frequency of locks depends on the gradient to be climbed. Locks can also be used to drain the lock, allowing the boat to be lowered to the next level. The bottom sluices are opened to allow the lock to drain, and then the top sluices are opened so that the water level rises in the lock, floating the boat up to the next level. The boat is then free to exit the lock on the new level.
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Locks and their fixed chambers
Locks are devices used to raise and lower boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on rivers and canals. They are characterised by a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied. Locks are used to make rivers more easily navigable, and to allow canals to cross land that is not level.
The process of operating a lock is simple. If a boat is travelling downstream and the lock is already full of water, the entrance gates are opened and the boat moves in. The entrance gates are then closed, and a valve is opened to lower the boat by draining water from the chamber. The exit gates are then opened and the boat moves out.
If a boat is travelling upstream, the process is reversed. The boat enters the empty lock, and then the chamber is filled by opening a valve that allows water to enter the chamber from the upper level. Once the level in the lock reaches the correct height, the upper gate can be fully opened, and the boat can continue on its way.
The frequency of locks on a canal depends on the gradient to be climbed. Locks can also be used to cross hills that separate river basins.
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How locks are used to make rivers more easily navigable
Locks are used to make rivers more easily navigable by raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels. Locks are fixed chambers in which the water level can be varied.
If a boat is travelling downstream, it will enter a lock that is already full of water. The entrance gates are then closed, and a valve is opened to drain water from the chamber, lowering the boat. The exit gates are then opened and the boat moves out.
If a boat is travelling upstream, it will enter an empty lock. The lower gate is closed, and water is allowed to fill the lock from the upper level, raising the boat. Once the water level in the lock reaches the correct height, the upper gate can be opened and the boat can continue on its way.
The frequency of locks on a river depends on the gradient to be climbed. Locks were built to enable canals to cross hills that separated river basins.
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The difference between locks and caisson locks
Locks are used to raise and lower boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. Locks were built to enable canals to cross hills which separated the various river basins.
The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied. For a boat travelling downstream, the entrance gates are opened and the boat moves in. The entrance gates are closed, a valve is opened, and the boat is lowered by draining water from the chamber. The exit gates are then opened and the boat moves out. For a boat travelling upstream, the process is reversed; the boat enters the empty lock, and then the chamber is filled by opening a valve that allows water to enter the chamber from the upper level.
A caisson lock, on the other hand, is a type of canal lock in which a narrowboat is floated into a sealed watertight box (the caisson) and raised or lowered between two different canal water levels. The caisson itself rises and falls. The caisson lock was invented in the late 18th century as a solution to the problem posed by the excessive demand for water when conventional locks were used to raise and lower canal boats through large height differences.
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How locks work when a boat is travelling downstream
Locks are devices used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. Locks were built to enable canals to cross hills which separated various river basins.
If a boat is travelling downstream and the lock is already full of water, the entrance gates are opened and the boat moves in. The entrance gates are then closed, and a valve is opened to lower the boat by draining water from the chamber. Once the lock is drained, the exit gates are opened and the boat moves out.
If the lock is empty, the boat would have to wait 5 to 10 minutes while the lock is filled. The process is then the same as above.
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Frequently asked questions
Locks are devices used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels. Locks have a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied. For a boat going downstream, the entrance gates are opened and the boat moves in. The entrance gates are closed, a valve is opened, and the boat is lowered by draining water from the chamber. For a boat going upstream, the process is reversed.
Locks were built to enable canals to cross hills which separated various river basins. Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to cross land that is not level.
The boat first enters the empty lock. The lower gate is closed, and water from above is allowed to fill the lock. Once the water level in the lock reaches the correct height, the upper gate can be fully opened, and the boat can continue on its way.
