The horizontal failure mechanism of the Wilnis peat dyke

Baars, S. Van

doi:10.1680/geot.55.4.319.65491

Cited by 10 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…Figure Another seminal example of drought impacts on levees is the failure of the Wilnis Levee in the Netherlands (Van Baars 2005). The Wilnis levee comprises predominately of Holland peat, which is very susceptible to desiccation cracks, deformation, and reductions in soil strength (Van Baars 2005). In August 2003, the Wilnis Levee failed after a prolonged drought season.…”

Section: Performance Of Earthen Levees Under Extreme Drought Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The largest of the cracks were observed in the longitudinal direction (i.e., parallel to the levee) at the crest of the levee. Figure 3 depicts the largest failure event, which was a 10-m horizontal translation (Van Baars 2005). The drought-induced soil unit weight reduction, soil shrinkage and cracking were identified as the primary weakening mechanisms that prompted the horizontal translation failure.…”

Section: Performance Of Earthen Levees Under Extreme Drought Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, clayey soils (i.e., fine-grained soils) are extremely susceptible to desiccation cracking. Several studies (e.g., Skempton et al 1969;Van Baars 2005;and Dyer et al 2009) have investigated the adverse effects of clay desiccation fissuring and softening on earthen structures. Fissures refer to narrow openings or cracks whose dimensions are largely governed by soil moisture and plasticity (Dyer et al 2009).…”

Section: Desiccation Cracking and Soil Softeningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weakening mechanisms imposed on California’s levees under multiyear extreme drought

Robinson

Vahedifard

2016

Climatic Change

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California is currently suffering from a multiyear extreme drought and the impacts of the drought are anticipated to worsen with climate change. The resilience of California's critical infrastructure such as earthen levees under drought conditions is a major concern that is poorly understood. California maintains more than 21,000 km of urban and nonurban levees which protect dry land from floods and deliver two-thirds of the state's drinking water. Many of these levees are currently operating under a high failure risk condition. This essay argues that California's protracted drought can further threaten the integrity of these already at-risk levee systems through the imposition of several thermo-hydro-mechanical weakening processes. Pertinent facts and statistics regarding California's drought and current status of its levees are presented. Lessons from previous catastrophic levee failures and major damages which occurred under similar events are discussed. Weakening processes such as soil-strength reduction, soil desiccation cracking, land subsidence and surface erosion, and microbial oxidation of soil organic carbon are comprehensively evaluated to illustrate the adverse impacts that the ongoing California drought can have on levees. This essay calls for further research in light of these potential droughtinduced weakening mechanisms to support adaptation and mitigation strategies to possibly avert future levee failures. These weakening processes can threaten any drought-stricken infrastructure interfacing with soil, including embankments, roads, bridges, building foundations, and pipelines.

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Section: Performance Of Earthen Levees Under Extreme Drought Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Performance Of Earthen Levees Under Extreme Drought Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Desiccation Cracking and Soil Softeningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weakening mechanisms imposed on California’s levees under multiyear extreme drought

Robinson

Vahedifard

2016

Climatic Change

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“…There are a wide range of failure mechanisms, which include overtopping, overflowing, wave impact, instability and external erosion of cover/revetment, external erosion of surface or earthfill, creeping, shallow slope sliding/slipping and slumping, deep rotational sliding, translational/horizontal sliding or shearing, seepage, backward erosion or piping, contact erosion, scouring and bank caving, settlement, slope instability, desiccation, cracking, infiltration, liquefaction, uplift, bursting, blow-out, drifting ice and ship impact (Allsop et al, 2007;CIRIA et al, 2013;Moser and Zomer, 2006;Schelfhout, 2011). For peat dikes, common failure mechanisms are translational/horizontal sliding or shearing, creeping or shallow slope sliding, deep rotational sliding, settlement, desiccation, cracking, infiltration, uplift and bursting (Bezuijen et al, 2011;CIRIA et al, 2013;Moser et al, 2008a;Schelfhout, 2011;van Baars, 2005). Several common failure mechanisms, including those associated with peat dikes, are illustrated in Figure 1.3.…”

Section: Dike Failurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the demand for land increased with population growth, these lakes were later drained, and the land reclaimed, by pumping the water out using windmills (now electric pumps) and constructing a system of ditches and canals to drain the water to rivers and out to sea (Figure 1.8). The water level in these ditches is controlled and maintained at constant levels (Moria, 2008;Querner et al, 2008;Schuetze, 2008;ten Cate, 1982;van Baars, 2005). The dike in this study has ditches on both sides of the dike (Figure 1.9).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of remote sensing for dike inspection

Cundill¹

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This thesis investigates the use of optical remote sensing as proxies for the inspection indicators of cover quality and soil moisture so as to facilitate the inspection of grass covered dikes. The proof of concept showed that significant relationships exist between various ground-based optical remote sensing data and the two indicators. These were refined for use with airborne and spaceborne sensors and suggestions for operational implementation for dike inspection are given. I am grateful to my parents, John and Isabell Cundill. Mom and Dad, thank you for your unconditional love, for instilling confidence in my ability and the perseverance to push through. Thank you to my family for their love and encouragement, particularly to my brother Gary as we together shared our doctoral experiences. Vielen Dank an Familie Tegtmeier für die Aufnahme in die Familie und Ihre Liebe und Unterstützung. I am especially grateful to my wife, Wiebke, for her unfailing love, support, encouragement, faith and patience throughout the doctoral process. Wiebs, I love you more than words can say and am so looking forward to the next phase of our lives together.

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Coping with Climate Change in a densely Populated Delta: A Paradigm Shift in Flood and Water Management in The Netherlands

Ritzema

Loon-Steensma

2017

Irrigation and Drainage

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The expected effects of climate change and economic and population growth have motivated the Netherlands government to reformulate its policies on flood protection and water management. Flood protection and drainage are needed to make this low‐lying country habitable and suitable for agriculture and other land uses: more than 65% of the Netherlands is protected by dykes against flooding. The likely impacts of climate change in combination with socio‐economic developments call for proactive and innovative plans. The new policies and standards are based on an innovative approach: instead of focusing only on prevention, the new standards take into account both the probability of flooding as well as the potential impacts and risks of flooding, for example the individual risk of being hit by a flood. Based on these new standards, conservation, adaptation and mitigation actions are used to create a multi‐layer safety approach that focuses on the water management system as well as spatial planning. Examples are presented of changes in perspectives and how flood protection, water management and spatial planning are being combined. These examples can be a basis for further adaptation measures in both the Netherlands as well as in other low‐lying countries worldwide. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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The horizontal failure mechanism of the Wilnis peat dyke

Cited by 10 publications

References 1 publication

Weakening mechanisms imposed on California’s levees under multiyear extreme drought

Weakening mechanisms imposed on California’s levees under multiyear extreme drought

Investigation of remote sensing for dike inspection

Coping with Climate Change in a densely Populated Delta: A Paradigm Shift in Flood and Water Management in The Netherlands

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