The stability of dikes subjects to soil-vegetation-atmosphere interaction

Large areas of the Netherlands are below the sea level, and a network of primary and secondary (regional) dikes protect these areas from inundation. Regular assessments and monitoring are implemented with the intention of ensuring the safety of the protected areas. However these assessments usually ignore that these dikes are subject to various...

The impact of evaporation induced cracks and precipitation on temporal slope stability

The stability of a dike is influenced strongly by its water content, via both changing its weight and strength. While safety calculations using both analytical and numerical methods are well studied, the impact of surface boundaries exposed to natural conditions is rarely considered, nor is the fact that this surface is covered in vegetation and...