A new test for the characterization of suffusion into embankment and dam

International audienceInternal erosion is the displacement of fine particles of a soil under the action of an internal flow. These mechanisms could be at the origin of damage on embankments and earth dams. Risks are linked to the nature of the floods but also to the construction of the embankments devoid of monitoring system. Then, it is necessary to detect the weak zones at the origin of damage and understand the phenomena of internal erosion. For that, a new experimental device has been carried out in our laboratory. This experiment named "Cross Erosion Test" and calibrated with a numerical simulation consists of the injection, in a first drilling, of clean water and the recovery, in a second drilling, of water charged with particles. In function of the soils and the flow and the initial state of the soils, internal erosion is characterized and particles eroded measured. In this paper we present this new experimental device and preliminary results