Modelling dike breach formation due to headcut erosion: defining the residual strength of dikes during overflow
Verbeek, B. (2019). Modelling dike breach formation due to headcut erosion: defining the residual strength of dikes during overflow. MSc Thesis. TU Delft: Delft. xix, 151 pp.
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 about the exact process leading to failure of the typical Dutch dikes in case the failure conditions actually occur. The most notable floods in the Netherlands have all been caused by dike breaching, where local damage in the dike lead to breach formation. This research describes the process of breach formation due to overflow and determines what design parameters affect the resistance of a dike against breaching. The proposed model (BRAM, a Breach Resistance AnalysisModel) combines existingmethods to determine the time-to-failure of the grass and clay cover with a newly developed process-oriented headcut erosion model. The model assesses the total time-to-failure of a dike through sequential failure of its components.
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