Experimental facilities
Hydraulic and geotechnical engineering aspects often require models on large-scale or small-scale to study essential physical processes. Dedicated experiments in wave flumes, wave basins, wave-current facilities, intake/outfall facilities, water-soil facilities, or in a geocentrifuge provide the required information on the hydraulic and geotechnical performance of infrastructure.
This basin is a wide flume for investigations related to flow forces, discharge coefficients, specific design details, bed protection and morphological impact of hydraulic structures.
The Delta basin (50 x 50 m) is a multidirectional wave basin, equipped with 2 multidirectional wave generators, placed at a right angle to each other.
The Delta flume is a wave flume which is unique because of its dimensions. The flume has a length of 240 m, a width of 5 m and a depth of 7 m. A deepened section of 9.5 m is also available.
The problem with scale models of soil is that soil consists of grains and so the models cannot replicate reality accurately unless gravity is enhanced artificially. This is the job of the GeoCentrifuge.
Two separate multifunctional basins are available for scale model testing of pump sumps and other intake and outfall structures.
The Pacific basin is a multifunctional wave current basin, which is used for coastal and offshore related projects in which 3D effects are important, e.g. breakwater heads and foundations of offshore structures.
The Rotating Annular Flume (or Carousel) is a ring-shaped flume imitating a flow channel with no beginning and no end. A special adaptation largely neutralizes the secondary flow due to the curvature. Consequently a never ending straight flow channel is simulated.
The Scheldt flume is a state-of-the art wave flume with a total length of 110 m.
The Water Soil Flume is a versatile and multifunctional facility for physical experiments, especially concerning water and soil interactions.
