A settlement flow is an embankment instability in which sand flows away in the manner of a (thick) fluid in a period of several minutes. The sand comes to rest only under a very gentle slope.
TU Delft research (2017)
Modelling of liquefaction using two-phase FEM with UBC3D-PLM model (2017)
Live observation of settlement floods (2014)
During a large trial in the Westerschelde, researchers from FloodControl IJkdijk observed several settlement embankments live with their equipment. While artificially steepening the slope of a slab, three measuring boats used multibeams and other acoustic equipment to observe whether liquefaction or other ground movements occurred.
Excavation pits Oosterscheldekering (2012-2013)
In March 2012, six former designers and builders of the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier reported to Rijkswaterstaat that a dangerous situation had arisen due to a lack of maintenance. About 16 subsidence failures had occurred leading to excavation pits 20 to 50 metres deep. Rijkswaterstaat eventually ordered some emergency embankments and a specially set up project team examined the management of the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier.
Rijkswaterstaat: Oosterscheldekering management under closer scrutiny (2013)
NRC: Large potholes Oosterschelde dam no danger (2013)from.
Static settlement floods (2009)
Causes of static settlement fluxes are vibrations caused, for example, by construction work or passing trains, and a sudden increase in groundwater tension caused by elevated groundwater or waves. Much has already been published in the Dutch literature on research into static settlement fluxes, including the following:
Bresvloeiingin sand (Vakblad Geotechniek, 2009)
Bank stability in deepening waterbeds: computational model (2009)
A characteristic factor for the (in)stability of underwater slopes of sand extraction wells is the receding erosion process along a sandy slope, called breaches, which feeds a sand water mixture flow as a density flow. The computational model HMBreach has been developed for this purpose. This report contains the background, documentation and manual of the HMBreach calculation model.
Dynamic settlement floods
In dynamic settlement floods, it is earthquake vibration that causes the instability. On the English-language website for'Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering', several publications and articles have been posted on dynamic settlement floods and the geotechnical implications there
Related pages
Ground survey
Ground deformation