Transfer of new research facility
Description
Transfer of new research facility for "subsidence floods of underwater slopes of loose sand" from emeritus professor Frans Molenkamp to current Professor of Soil Mechanics Michael Hicks.
Around the retirement in 2008 of emeritus Frans Molenkamp, former professor of soil mechanics, TU Delft, Faculty of CiTG, he obtained the financial support of the Technical Sciences Foundation (STW) to carry out his research proposal on subsidence floods. Since then, he and PhD student Richard de Jager, also a part-time employee of Boskalis, have enjoyed working on it. On 9 October 2015, the obtained research facility will be handed over for continued research.
The first research goal is to obtain reproducible experimental data, which will allow to establish the quality level of predictive models. This for different triggers of softening and consequently caused subsidence floods of underwater slopes of extremely loose fine sand. This research requires two complementary experimental parts, namely:
1. The main part concerns being able to demonstrate the reproducibility of triggering softening phenomena of these underwater slopes. These slopes are obtained by fluidisation of a layer of fine sand in the softening tank built for this purpose. Test slopes are then made therein using a sand-suction device.
2. The relatively minor but equally essential complementary part involves measuring the undrained behaviour of water-saturated sand samples. Their condition starts at the same average grain stress, porosity and microstructure as occurs at the half-height of the test slopes. To obtain the same microstructure for these sand samples as occurs in the softening tank, the same preparation method by fluidisation is applied.
The research facility obtained in this context is unique in the world. It gives TU Delft and thus the Dutch civil engineering industry the opportunity to establish the quality of predictions of the behaviour of a range of geotechnical designs. For example, the development of the underwater bottom of stream channels in Zeeland, which have historically been affected by settlement failures with some regularity, is being carefully monitored by Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) in order to be able to prevent new damage with timely and effective maintenance.
Speaker(s)
Emeritus Frans Molenkamp will deliver a handover lecture (30 minutes) at the handover of this STW project on 9 October 2015. There will then be an opportunity to ask questions and a formal handover of the project leadership of the research with the new facility to Prof Michael Hicks (15 minutes). Finally, a representative of RWS (Ir. Hans Janssen) will explain the social importance of the new facility and the knowledge to be developed with it (15 minutes). Both lectures and the handover will take place in lecture room A of CiTG, in the vicinity of the new facility. During the subsequent drinks reception, interested visitors will have the opportunity to visit the facility under expert guidance. Richard de Jager will answer any questions about the facility and research on site
Location
TU Delft, Faculty CiTG, Lecture Hall A
Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft
Organiser
Construction and Hydraulic Engineering
Geotechnics
Mechanics
TU Delft
Name and contact details for information
Ms Marlijn Ammerlaan, t. 015-2781423 or via the e-mail address below