Breaching Flow Slides and the Associated Turbidity Currents: Large-Scale Experiments and 3D Numerical Modelling

Underwater slope failure is a common problem in the fields of geotechnical, dredging and hydraulic engineering, posing a major risk to submerged infrastructure and flood defences along coasts, rivers, and lakes. The term ‘flow slide’ refers to a specific, complex failure mechanism of underwater slopes, which occurs when a substantial amount of...

On the modelling of the unstable breaching process

Breaching is an important production mechanism for stationary suction dredgers. It is a process occurring in submerged sandy slopes, which mostly occurs in dense sandy soils with a low permeability. The process is initiated by the formation of a slope under water, whose angle is steeper than the internal friction angle, called the breach face....

Large-scale Experiments on Breaching Flow Slides and the Associated Turbidity Current

Breaching flow slides are accompanied by the generation of turbidity currents. Measurements of these currents are critical for understanding the interaction between the turbidity current and the slope surface, as well as for the validation of numerical models. However, there are insufficient data available detailing the velocity distribution or...

The need for experimental studies on breaching flow slides

Recent studies have revealed that breaching, rather than liquefaction, is the dominant failure process in underwater slopes of fine sand and the main driver of observed flow slides in nature. As a result, breaching is getting more attention from hydraulic and geotechnical researchers. Measurements of breaching-generated turbidity currents are...