Location: Watershed Physical Processes Research
Project Number: 6060-13000-029-047-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2025
End Date: Jun 30, 2029
Objective:
The proposed research aims to investigate the processes observed during different stages of a earthen levee and dam breach, such as overtopping, headcut erosion and breach widening, through a series of laboratory experiments. The findings of these experiments will be combined with laboratory soil analysis to provide improved conceptual relationships for simplified physically based embankment breach models.
Approach:
The levee breach laboratory experiments will have the following tasks:
(i) Design and construct a laboratory facility for levee breach experiments
(ii) Develop techniques for measuring breach geometry, breach discharge
(iii) Carry out laboratory experiments for varying levee properties (i.e. geometry, soil characteristics), upstream and downstream hydraulic conditions
(iv) Measure soil erosion resistance using JET test and flume experiments.