The effect of a suspended cut-off wall on backward erosion piping

- laboratory tests and calculations

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59490/jchs.2026.0055

Keywords:

Backward Erosion Piping, Suspended cut-off wall, Model test, Calculations

Abstract

The effect of a suspended cut-off wall on susceptibility of a water retaining structure to backward erosion piping (BEP) was investigated in a small-scale model test. The critical head was tested without and with a cut-off wall. The piezometric head in the model was measured at different locations in the with standpipes. One was located in the lower end of the cut-off wall to measure the vertical gradient on the downstream side of the cut-off wall. The maximum difference in piezometric head that could be resisted by the model was 4.9 times higher in the presence of a suspended cut-off wall over half the depth of the permeable sand layer compared to the test without a cut-off wall.

The measured distribution of piezometric head agrees with the results of 2 D numerical calculations with D-Geo Flow and with the results of analytical calculations following the exit gradient method. 

The stability against BEP is significant. A vertical gradient downstream of the suspended cut-off wall of 1.7 was necessary to reach failure while normally a gradient of 1 is assumed. Possible causes for this high stability are discussed.  

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Published

2026-08-18

How to Cite

WaNG, T., Bezuijen, A., Tao, Y., & van Beek, V. (2026). The effect of a suspended cut-off wall on backward erosion piping : - laboratory tests and calculations. Journal of Coastal and Hydraulic Structures, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.59490/jchs.2026.0055

Issue

Vol. 6 (2026)

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Tongtong WaNG, Adam Bezuijen, Yida Tao, Vera van Beek

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The authors declare that they have either created all material in the manuscript themselves, or have traceable permission from the copyright holder to use it in the present manuscript. They acknowledge that the manuscript will be placed on the JCHS website under the CC-BY 4.0 licence. They will retain copyright of the paper, and will remain fully liable for any breaches of copyright or other Intellectual Property violations arising from the manuscript.