Etude expérimentale de la résistance des bâtiments en cas de crue

Details

Supervisors

Soares Frazao, Sandra ; Bousmar, Didier

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil des constructions, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enFloods are a frequent problem in Belgium, as well as in many countries around the world. The major event in July 2021 caused significant material damage, particularly to buildings. In order to prevent and protect against such damage, it is essential to quantify the forces exerted on buildings. In this study, two approaches were used. Firstly, an experimental setup was implemented to simulate the influence of a dam-break flow on an isolated building. Measurement devices were used to recorded water levels and velocities at specific locations of the flow. Pressures and water height profiles on the front face of the building were also measured. In parallel, numerical simulations were carried out on the real case of the city of Pepinster. The use of different approaches for calculating forces allowed for a comparison of the obtained results. The findings indicate that, in both cases, the hydrostatic component of the forces is predominant. In the experiments, except during the impact of the dam-break wave on the obstacle, the hydrodynamic component is negligible. However, in the case of Pepinster, the velocities are sufficient to generate hydrodynamic forces. Nevertheless, this study has some limitations, particularly regarding the reproduction of three-dimensional effects, which are particularly important during the initial stages of the experiment. To enhance the model, it is possible to diversify the experimental setup and use a three-dimensional model for the simulations.