Completed Projects
Project
Piping in practice - Quantifying how subsurface heterogeneity affects piping processes below dikes using combined in 3D subsurface composition and groundwater flow models
01.10.2016
to 31.12.2022
General project description
Piping is a process of seepage-induced transport of sand underneath river dikes that could occur when rivers flood and can make dikes fail. Prediction of piping risk at delta scale is difficult because it demands detailed knowledge on composition of the natural substrate below the dike, e.g. grain size distribution, sorting and layering and on the way seepage water flows through this; horizontally, diagonally, via preferential paths. This project aims to identify locations of increased piping-risk below river dikes of the Dutch delta. The methods involve improved mapping of substrate below dikes throughout the delta, measurement of hydraulic characteristics of the subsurface at field test locations, and full-3D hi-res numerical modeling of the piping process. This will result in faster and more cost-efficient identification of piping-risk locations and better-informed calculation of dike stability, needed to maintain safety standards along 100-kms of dike.
Role
PhD Candidate
Funding
Other grant (government funding) STW
External project members
- Dr. M.P Hijma - Deltares
- Dr. V.M. van Beek - Deltares
Project
Piping in practice – Quantifying how subsurface heterogeneity affects piping processes below dikes using combined in 3D subsurface composition and groundwater flow models.
01.10.2016
to 31.12.2022
General project description
Piping is a process of seepage-induced transport of sand underneath river dikes that could occur when rivers flood and can make dikes fail. Prediction of piping risk at delta scale is difficult because it demands detailed knowledge on composition of the natural substrate below the dike, e.g. grain size distribution, sorting and layering and on the way seepage water flows through this; horizontally, diagonally, via preferential paths. This project aims to identify locations of increased piping-risk below river dikes of the Dutch delta. The methods involve improved mapping of substrate below dikes throughout the delta, measurement of hydraulic characteristics of the subsurface at field test locations, and full-3D hi-res numerical modeling of the piping process. This will result in faster and more cost-efficient identification of piping-risk locations and better-informed calculation of dike stability, needed to maintain safety standards along 100-kms of dike.
Role
Researcher
Funding
Other grant (government funding) STW WATER2015
External project members
- dr. Marc Hijma - Deltares
- dr. Vera van Beek - Deltares