Damage to Masonry Houses due to a Riverine Dyke Breach

A hydraulic and structural approach

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Abstract

The Netherlands has always been in close proximity to water, whether its rivers or the sea. This proximity to water and the need for land to settle and farm, led to vast amounts of land reclamation by constructing dykes along the water features to prevent flooding of the new earned land. This newly reclaimed land started to subside over the years, increasing the difference between the high water in the rivers and the low-lying land even more. With an expanding population, rising water levels and increasingly severe storms, the consequences of a future flood due to a riverine dyke breach are ever rising.
The aim of this thesis follows from these increasing consequences and is to determine the potential structural damage to a masonry house due to a dyke breach leading to a riverine flood.