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Local Erosion of Hydraulic Structures and Flood Protection

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Erosion and Sediment Transport".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 21100

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Iacopo Carnacina

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L33AF, UK
Interests: acoustic Doppler velocimeters; flexible pipes; water treatment; sewer system; bridge pier scour; flooding

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent trends in climate change and antrophic pressure have highlighted again the fragility of our engineered environment. New research is produced daily to understand the impact of local erosion as new failures are reported daily in the news. Local erosion phenomena are observed each time water from streams or oceans interacts with engineered structures ranging from bridge piers and sills to flood protection structures such as levees, groynes, and dams. Limitations also exist in measuring, with a high degree of accuracy, the extent of failure or damages that occur to flood protection during flood conditions.

With this Special Issue, we would like to invite experts in the area to share their new research on local erosion of hydraulic and flood protection structures, both riverine and coastal. Numerical, physical, measurement methodolgy and hybrid approaches are welcomed. We look forward to receiving your work.

Dr. Iacopo Carnacina
Guest Editor

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Keywords

local erosion
hydraulic strcutures
measurement
flooding
flood protection

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 7979 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Internal Erosion in Earthen Dams on the Potential Difference Response to Applied Voltage

by Mingjie Zhao, Pan Liu, Li Jiang and Kui Wang

Water 2021, 13(23), 3387; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13233387 - 1 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3655

Abstract

Internal erosion is widely perceived as contributing to the failure of earthen dams. To reduce the failure risk, timely monitoring of internal erosion is an effective method in observing their internal structure evolution. A set of earthen dam model experiments were conducted. Under an applied voltage, the response potential differences (PD) at the slope of the dam models were collected before and after the impoundment of the upstream reservoir. The discrepancy among the four dam models, the influence of soil moisture content on PD, and the impact of internal erosion on PD were studied. The results show that it is acceptable to employ different dam models to simulate the development of internal erosion, although the discrepancy among the models is inevitable. The moisture content of the soil significantly affects the PD response to applied voltage. The PD increases with an increase in soil moisture content until the soil is saturated. The change in PD is correlated with the development of internal erosion. With the progression of internal erosion, the starting position for the steep increase in PD distribution continues to move toward the dam toe. In addition, the electrode stability is noted to have an effect on measured PD, which requires further studies to be clarified. This study sets the stage for the PD-based monitoring method in observing the evolution of internal erosion in earthen dams. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Erosion of Hydraulic Structures and Flood Protection)

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14 pages, 3552 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Hybrid Scour Depth Prediction Equations for Reliable Design of Bridge Piers

by Hossein Hamidifar, Faezeh Zanganeh-Inaloo and Iacopo Carnacina

Water 2021, 13(15), 2019; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13152019 - 23 Jul 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3719

Abstract

Numerous models have been proposed in the past to predict the maximum scour depth around bridge piers. These studies have all focused on the different parameters that could affect the maximum scour depth and the model accuracy. One of the main parameters individuated is the critical velocity of the approaching flow. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of different equations to determine the critical flow velocity on the accuracy of models for estimating the maximum scour depth around bridge piers. Here, 10 scour depth estimation equations, which include the critical flow velocity as one of the influencing parameters, and 8 critical velocity estimation equations were examined, for a total combination of 80 hybrid models. In addition, a sensitivity analysis of the selected scour depth equations to the critical velocity was investigated. The results of the selected models were compared with experimental data, and the best hybrid models were identified using statistical indicators. The accuracy of the best models, including YJAF-VRAD, YJAF-VARN, and YJAI-VRAD models, was also evaluated using field data available in the literature. Finally, correction factors were implied to the selected models to increase their accuracy in predicting the maximum scour depth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Erosion of Hydraulic Structures and Flood Protection)

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17 pages, 4876 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Semi-Rigid Erosion Control Techniques with Geotextiles Applied to Reservoir Margins in Hydroelectric Power Plants, Brazil

by Maria Alejandra Aparicio Ardila, Ricardo D. dos Santos Junior, Marcelo Kobelnik, Clever Aparecido Valentin, Marlon Silva Schliewe, Arnaldo Teixeira Coelho, Jefferson Lins da Silva and Marta Pereira da Luz

Water 2021, 13(4), 500; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13040500 - 15 Feb 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3609

Abstract

In Brazil, hydroelectricity represents close to 70% of the energy consumed in the country. However, hydroelectric plant operations may be affected by the deposit of sediments for erosive processes on reservoir margins. This study presents the results of implementing two semi-rigid erosion control techniques installed on reservoir margins of two Brazilian Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPPs). These techniques were the gabion and gabion mattress used as a mixed technique and geogrid mattress technique. This paper highlights the importance of implementing geotextiles in the construction process of these erosion control techniques, taking advantage of their separation properties. The performance of the techniques was evaluated using qualitative performance variables and by differential bathymetry studies performed in 2016 and 2020 in the experimental units installed in each HPP. Moreover, the degradation of the geotextiles in each installation was evaluated through thermal analysis. The erosion control techniques that showed the best results were gabion and gabion mattress. Regarding the exhumed geotextiles, thermal analyses have shown that the commercial geotextiles that were used can withstand temperatures of up to 200 °C leading to no changes to their structure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Erosion of Hydraulic Structures and Flood Protection)

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19 pages, 9353 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Climate Change on Soil Erosion in the Lam Phra Phloeng Watershed

by Uba Sirikaew, Uma Seeboonruang, Pinit Tanachaichoksirikun, Jatuwat Wattanasetpong, Virun Chulkaivalsucharit and Walter Chen

Water 2020, 12(12), 3527; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12123527 - 16 Dec 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2893

Abstract

Soil erosion plays a vital role in reducing reservoir capacity. The Lam Phra Phloeng (LPP) dams were built for flood protection and irrigation. However, they have experienced reservoir sedimentation, and the capacity of the reservoir has decreased. The surrounding soil surface was easily eroded and transported by heavy rainfall and surface runoff to streams and eventually into the reservoir. Understanding this soil erosion and sedimentation is necessary for preventing further decline of reservoir capacity and water management. This research aims to estimate long-term average annual soil erosion and predict sediment yield in the reservoir due to climate change. The methodology is determined soil loss parameters and sediment yield using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) with the Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR). The USLE and SDR methods differed from field data, with an average absolute error of 4.0%. The Global Climatic Model, Institute Pierre Simon Laplace-Climate Model version 5A (IPSL-CM5A-MR), with Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5, was downscaled and analyzed to forecast future rainfall in the watershed. The high intensity of rainfall contributed to higher soil erosion, in RCP 8.5. Interestingly, the high and very high-risk areas increased, but the moderate risk area declined, indicating that the moderate risk area should be a priority in land management. However, the heavy rainfall and high slope gradient led to a slight increase in the soil erosion in some areas because the land covers were evergreen and deciduous forest. The prediction of sediment yield was positively correlated with the intensity of rainfall in the central part of the watershed, because the rainfall and runoff led the sediment to the river and streams, indicating that the land cover should be managed to prevent capacity decline. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Erosion of Hydraulic Structures and Flood Protection)

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15 pages, 4958 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Lime-Treated Lateritic Soil for Reservoir Shoreline Stabilization

by Ricardo Moreira Vilhena, Márcia Maria dos Anjos Mascarenha, Renato Resende Angelim, Tomás da Rosa Simões, Renato Batista de Oliveira and Marta Pereira da Luz

Water 2020, 12(11), 3141; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12113141 - 10 Nov 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2413

Abstract

Sedimentation is one of the major problems addressed by reservoir management, and requires extensive effort to control it. This paper aims to evaluate the efficiency of the soil–lime stabilization technique for reservoir shores. The treatment consisted of spraying hydrated lime in slurry form over the surface of a lateritic clay sample with 1, 2, and 4% lime solution and curing times of 1, 7, 28, and 56 days with air-drying and moist-room storage. In addition, a single test with less than 1% lime solution by weight percentage was carried out. The post-cured specimens were mapped with SEM and X-ray analyses. A wave flume test was performed in samples subjected to diverse conditions of lime content, type, and curing time. The results showed that the present technique produces a Ca-rich crust by carbonation rather than stabilizing it and that the lime content and type of curing generate improvements in soil loss reduction, but the curing time does not. The technique gave relative protection against water level variation and wave impacts, but it is necessary to consider a frequent application of lime on the lateritic soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Erosion of Hydraulic Structures and Flood Protection)

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17 pages, 1566 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

The Influence of Grain Size Distribution on the Hydraulic Gradient for Initiating Backward Erosion

by Willem-Jan Dirkx, Rens van Beek and Marc Bierkens

Water 2020, 12(9), 2644; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12092644 - 22 Sep 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3158

Abstract

Backward erosion by piping is one of the processes that threaten the stability of river embankments in the Netherlands. During high river stages, groundwater flow velocities underneath the embankment increase as a result of the steepened hydraulic gradient. If a single outflow point exists or forms, the concentrated flow can entrain soil particles, leading to the formation of a subsurface pipe. The processes controlling this phenomenon are still relatively unknown due to their limited occurrence and because piping is a subsurface phenomenon. To study the initiation of piping, we performed laboratory experiments in which we induced water flow through a porous medium with a vertically orientated outflow point. In these experiments, we explicitly considered grain size variations, thus adding to the existing database of experiments. Our experiments showed that the vertical velocity needed for the initiation of particle transport can be described well by Stokes’ law using the median grain size. We combine this with a novel method to relate bulk hydraulic conductivity to the grain size distribution. This shows that knowledge of the grain size distribution and the location of the outflow point are sufficient to estimate the hydraulic gradient needed to initiate pipe formation in the experiment box. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Erosion of Hydraulic Structures and Flood Protection)

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