The Netherlands: Deltares Begins Construction of Delta Flume

Yesterday, Deltares started building the new Delta flume at their premises on Rotterdamseweg in Delft. This research facility will replace the present one in the Dutch North-East Polder and will be much more advanced. The new facility is unique as far as size and test features are concerned.

Deltares uses the Delta flume to perform tests for national and international hydraulic projects such as breakwaters and dike revetments. The tests involve measuring wave heights, wave pressures, flow velocities, wave overtopping and profiles. The new test facility will make it possible to test the effect of waves in full-scale conditions.

Deltares, together with institutes such as TU Delft, TNO and Unesco IHE, forms part of the Technological Innovation Campus Delft. This campus is the technological heart of the ‘South Wing’ of the Randstad and is an experimental site for numerous innovations.

The new facility will be 300 m long, 9.5 m deep and 5 m wide. This length is essential for simulating wave formation over gradually rising coastline profiles. The new design is considerably larger than the present one, which is 220 m long, 7 m deep and 5 m wide.

Construction of the flume is to start at the end of this month by first vibro-driving 700 m of sheet piling to a depth of 22 m. Then around 750 piles will be driven into the ground. Ballast Nedam Infra is building the Delta flume. MTS System Corp (USA) is responsible for the construction of the wave board which will be able to generate waves up to 2.2 m high. The Delta flume will be completed in November 2013.

[mappress]

Press Release, September 13, 2012