The stability of foreland types under dike breach conditions - an experimental study

Due to accelerating climate change, which entails more extreme storm conditions and exponential sea level rise, the protective function of our dikes and levees is under growing pressure. The presence of so-called forelands (e.g., beach, mudflat, and tidal marsh) are promising Nature-based Solutions to reduce the probability of dike failure and...

The effects of forelands on embankment breaching in coastal and river regions

Embankments are one of the key aspects of flood protection programs. As the sea levels are expected to rise the coming decades coastal protection is becoming increasingly important. To better prepare for the future, increased understanding of embankment breaching is desired. An area of embankment breaching that has been relatively left untouched...

Modelling dike breach formation: Defining the residual strength of dikes during overflow

Dikes constructed of a sand core, clay cover and natural vegetation as (landside) slope protection are common flood defence structures in the Netherlands. The design parameters, such as the crest height of dikes, are determined through risk assessment to reduce the remaining probability of a failure mechanism, such as overflow. Little is known...

Experimental investigation on breaching of embankments

Breaching of embankments has recently drawn more and more attention due to its importance in the development of early warning systems for embankment failures, in the evacuation plans of people at risk, in the design method of embankments based on a risk-approach, etc. The erosion process observed during embankment breaching tests in the...

Breach growth in clay-dikes

Numerous flood disasters occur every year worldwide, mostly resulting from failure of dikes, some with catastrophic outcomes. Examples are the dike failures along the Yangtze River in China in 1931 due to heavy rainstorms and those in the Netherlands in 1953 due to a storm surge at the North Sea. Both floods induced many deaths and enormous...