Spatial variability in dike stability assessments

The safety of the Dutch dikes depends on various failure mechanisms. Macro stability, a geotechnical failure mechanism, is highly affected by differences in soil strength because the sliding plane propagates through areas of least resistance. The variations in soil properties in space, also known as spatial<br/>variability, are caused by...

Assessment of macro-instability using SHANSEP in RFEM: The application of SHANSEP in combination with RFEM for safety assessment of dikes.

The Dutch Water board revised their guidelines for the safety assessment of dikes in 2017. A major change for the assessment of macro-stability is the use of the SHANSEP method to estimate the strength of impermeable cohesive layers. The failure probabilities are estimated with a deterministic analysis using limit equilibrium methods. The use of...

Connecting deterministic and numerical methods to better estimate the probability of flooding for clay dikes

Dikes protect people and lands all around the globe. With rising sea levels, the importance of well-designed dikes has never been more essential. One of the main factors that can compromise the stability of dikes are macro-instabilities. Macro-instabilities can cause dikes to lose their water bearing potential, leading to floods. Methods are...