Underwater embankments and soil mechanics

摘要

When sand and gravel is excavated below the water table, a decisive factor for stability of the banks is the slope. When the excavation is carried out carefully, there is little sliding of material from the banks into the pit. The slope created by excavation and the slope created by sliding are different, depending on grain size. It is particularly difficult to predict the slope when the sand is fine-grained and homogeneous. The slope and the stability of the banks determine the safe distance of any construction from the bank and the approved line. The approval procedure for quarrying in Lower Saxony includes consideration of nature protection laws, and the stability of the banks is to be determined by state-of-the-art methods.