Hoskin Environmental
Hoskin Geotechnical
Hoskin Instrumentation
Hydrology, Irrigation & Environmental Systems
Teaching flumes and rainfall simulators for Canadian civil engineering programs.
A guide to teaching watershed-scale processes at lab scale: open-channel hydraulics, sediment transport, rainfall and runoff, drainage, and seepage. Built around the Armfield C and S Series flumes used in civil and environmental engineering programs across Canada.
What students learn
Open-channel hydraulics
Specific energy, critical flow, hydraulic jumps, gradually and rapidly varied flow.
Weirs and gates
Sharp-crested and broad-crested weirs, sluice gates, discharge coefficients.
Sediment transport
Bed-load and suspended-load transport, scour around piers and abutments.
Rainfall and runoff
Rainfall intensity vs runoff response, surface erosion processes on a tilting tray.
Drainage and seepage
Steady seepage through earth dams, drawdown experiments, well drawdown.
Irrigation
Open-channel and pressurised irrigation system layouts, distribution uniformity.
The Armfield range
The hub-relevant Armfield equipment Hoskin Scientific supplies and services in Canada:
C4-MKII Multi-Purpose Teaching Flume
Tilting glass-sided flume with interchangeable accessories for weirs, gates, hydraulic jumps, and sediment transport.
Larger Research Flumes
Customisable wide flumes (such as the 17 m by 0.6 m by 1.2 m installation referenced in Armfield literature for Concordia) for graduate-level research on sediment transport, scour, and structural-hydraulic interaction.
Sediment Transport Accessories
Sediment feeders, recirculation systems, and instrumentation for bed-load and suspended-load experiments.
Rainfall Simulator
Tilting catchment tray with controllable rainfall intensity for runoff, infiltration, and erosion experiments.
Drainage and Seepage Tank
Vertical glass-sided tank for steady-seepage and well drawdown demonstrations.
Irrigation Demonstration Apparatus
Open-channel irrigation network or pressurised distribution system for irrigation design teaching.
Canadian application notes
Canadian civil and environmental engineering programs use Armfield teaching flumes both for undergraduate hydraulics courses and for applied research on sediment transport, scour, and structural-hydraulic interaction. Concordia University, the University of Ottawa, and Queen's University all run Armfield flumes in their hydraulic labs. Hoskin Scientific has supported these installations from initial specification through commissioning, and continues to supply spare parts and calibration through the academic year.
Why specify through Hoskin Scientific
- Pre-purchase consultation — matching equipment to course learning outcomes and lab utilities.
- Quotation in CAD — including landed cost, duty handling, and trade-compliant documentation for grant and tri-council purchasing.
- Installation and commissioning — on-site, by Hoskin technicians familiar with Canadian electrical and water service standards.
- Service, calibration, and parts — held in Canada to minimise downtime during the academic year.
Explore the six Armfield hubs
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between teaching flumes and research flumes?
Teaching flumes such as the C4-MKII are sized for undergraduate experiments. Research flumes are larger custom configurations like the 17 m by 0.6 m by 1.2 m flume referenced in Armfield literature for Concordia University, suited to graduate-level work.
Can the rainfall simulator integrate with the seepage tank?
They are typically separate apparatus, but both can sit in the same hydrology lab with shared water service. Hoskin Scientific can plan combined installations.
What sediment transport experiments are possible?
Bed-load and suspended-load transport, scour around piers and abutments, and erosion studies using sediment-feeder accessories on Armfield flumes.
Are Armfield flumes used for both teaching and research in Canada?
Yes. The University of Ottawa runs an Armfield tilting recirculating flume, Queen's University uses Armfield flumes for sediment-transport and scour studies, and Concordia University uses larger Armfield research flumes for graduate work.
Get a Quote on Your hydrology or hydraulics Lab
Specifying a teaching flume, planning a research-scale wide flume, or adding rainfall and seepage demonstrators to your civil engineering lab? Our team will help you scope the right Armfield setup.
Contact our Education team
