Embedded structures in flood defenses: Effects on safety and failures

Flood defenses are exposed to deterioration processes that compromise their stability. These processes are called ‘failure mechanisms’ and they are mostly triggered and/or exacerbated by the hydraulic loads generated during extreme high water events, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Concepts such as the ‘Delta dike’ or the ‘Unbreachable dike’ have been developed in the Netherlands to deal with these failure mechanisms. Water Resource