How does a river levee breach?
- Study on the process of failures -

One of our research focuses in to better understand the mechanisms involved in river levee failures. A river levee is an essential geo-infrastructure to protect homes and fields from floods.
However, under certain circumstances, the levee can breach. For example, the catastrophic flooding along the Kinu River in 2015 is deemed caused by the water level exceeding the crest of the levee, a process known as overtopping. Another example is a foundation failure observed along the Yabe River in 2012, where the levee breach is believed to be caused by piping (or internal erosion) associated with seepage through highly permeable layer in the foundation.
These mechanisms are yet to be fully understood and further complexity arises because levees are normally constructed with not well-characterized soils. Therefore, we aim to clarify the conditions and the processes of the levee failures through site investigations, model experiments and numerical analysis.

Academic Staff

Hirotoshi MORI, Dr.Eng., Msc

  Associate Professor:
  Department of
    Civil and Environmental Engineering,
  Yamaguchi University

  2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Ube,
    Yamaguchi, 755-8611, JAPAN
  mail: mori at yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
   (please change "at" to @)



Field
Geotechnical Engineering, River Engineering

Employment
2016-present
  Associate Professor:
  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
  Yamaguchi University
2013-2016
  Senior Researcher:
  River Research Division,
  National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management,
  Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
2011-2013
  Director for International Cooperation:
  Oversea Projects Division,
  Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
2008-2011
  Senior Researcher:
  Soil and Dynamics Research Team,
  Public Works Research Institute
2006-2008
  Researcher:
  International Research Division,
  National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management,
  Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
1999-2008
  Researcher:
  Soil Research Team,
  Public Works Research Institute

Higher Education/Degree
2010
  Dr.Eng., University of Tokyo
  Analytical Study on the Progressive Failure of River Levees
2009
  MSc, University of Cambridge
  The SPH method to Simulate River Levee Failures
1999
  M.Eng., Kyoto University

Professional Affiliation
  Member, Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Japan
  Member, Japanese Geotechnical Society, Japan

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