Ryszard A DANIEL | Rijkswaterstaat (original) (raw)

Papers by Ryszard A DANIEL

Inżynieria Morska i Geotechnika (Maritime and Soil Engineering), no. 3/2024, 2024

While the main objective of hydraulic structures (such as river dams, lock gates, and storm and f... more While the main objective of hydraulic structures (such as river dams, lock gates, and storm and flood barriers) is to remain in service, engineers must also be able to adequately handle their failures. Despite the ongoing development of expertise, design tools, norms, and construction methods, there are still a considerable number of accidents and calamities that happen to such structures. In addition, the losses and costs of damages as result of these so-called “upset events” are growing due to the growing complexity of waterborne infrastructure and intensity of navigation or other use of inland waters.
Accidents to hydraulic structures happen not only when their loads exceed the design strength. Other possible causes are, for example, unforeseen conditions, lack of inspection and maintenance, improper operation, and navigation errors. These causes are often complex and less covered by technical norms than the relations between loads and resistances of structures. In addition, there are often combinations and sequences of events that may lead to disastrous results.
So far, various PIANC Working Groups have provided guidance for preventing accidents from happening, like the accidents resulting from ship collision. While this should remain the engineer’s main concern, there is also a demand for more guidance how to effectively handle the accidents and calamities that have actually happened. This is a matter of combined effort of many professionals and services. Engineers can and should contribute to this effort. The PIANC Working Group WG-241 has recently completed an investigation in this field; and its report is now available. This article presents a summary of that report, including the investigation approach, some main findings, and an introduction to the performed case studies.

Inżynieria Morska i Geotechnika (Maritime and Soil Engineering), no. 2023/04, 2023

Along with bulkheads and stoplogs, vertical lift gates are the oldest type of movable hydraulic c... more Along with bulkheads and stoplogs, vertical lift gates are the oldest type of movable hydraulic closures. Such closures have been constructed by people from time immemorial. Also nowadays, the relatively simple mode of operation makes the vertical lift gates one of the most favored hydraulic closures for the sites like navigation locks, river weirs and dams, flood and storm surge barriers and the like. Obviously, the sizes and structural systems of these gates tremendously developed since the ancient times, and so did their drive systems, but the very principle of vertical gate movement remained unchanged. After all, it is not only the simplest but usually also the shortest way to open and close a hydraulic gate. This article presents the applicable systems and details of such gates and their drive machinery in view of modern requirements.

The Hartel Canal Barrier enables the opening of the Canal, which will give Rotterdam the senond -... more The Hartel Canal Barrier enables the opening of the Canal, which will give Rotterdam the senond - next to the New Waterway - access to the North Sea. Along with higher and stronger dikes, the Hartel Canal Barrier will prevent the flooding of large and highly populated area after opening the Canal to the sea . This article presents the design of the barrier vertical lift gates, the conducted investigations and the actual construction. They break the world span records for their type; and introduce a number of other innovations in hydraulic engineering. At the time of writing this article, the manufacturing of the gates has just started.

Keeping the transport infrastructure in proper condition is a very important issue for every coun... more Keeping the transport infrastructure in proper condition is a very important issue for every country. For the Netherlands, it is a "to be or not to be" issue. The economy of this country has always been based on transport and international trade services (in the past even monopolization). What helps, is the Netherlands' location in the delta of main West-European rivers: the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt.
This papers presents some Dutch experiences in maintaining and upgrading the country's infrastructure. It focusses on bridges, viaducts and navigation structures, like locks, weirs and flood barriers. The discussed projects come mostly from the author's engineering practice by the Netherlands' Ministry of Transport and Public Works. The presentation is in Polish and aims to contribute to the Poland's recovery from the disastreous flooding in 1997.

These days, the largest Southern Gate of the Hartel Canal Barrier has been installed. The Barrier... more These days, the largest Southern Gate of the Hartel Canal Barrier has been installed. The Barrier enables the opening of the Canal, which will give Rotterdam the senond - next to the New Waterway - access to the North Sea. Along with higher and stronger dikes, the Hartel Canal Barrier must prevent the flooding of large and highly populated area when dredging of the canal opening is completed. This article globally presents the design of the barrier gates, the completed investigations and the actual construction. The gates are of vertical lift type. They break the world span records for this gate type; and introduce a number of other innovations in hydraulic engineering.

In the autumn of 1993, the construction of the Hartel Canal Barrier began. It will enable the ope... more In the autumn of 1993, the construction of the Hartel Canal Barrier began. It will enable the opening of the Canal, which will give Rotterdam the senond - next to the New Waterway - access to the North Sea. The Barrier - along with higher and stronger dikes - must prevent the flooding of large and highly populated area after dredging of the canal opening. In this article, the design of the barrier gates is globally presented. The gates are of vertical lift type. They break the world span record for this type; and introduce a number of innovations in hydraulic gate engineering.

The Hagestein Weir is the outer Western weir-lock complex on the Rhine en is nearly identical to ... more The Hagestein Weir is the outer Western weir-lock complex on the Rhine en is nearly identical to the other two complexes - in Driel and Amerongen. The weir contains two so-called "visor gates", each op 54 m span. In the operational lowered position, the gates suffered from extensive vibrations. The problem was solved by installing the bottom seal profile of another shape. In this part of the article, the execution of this project is presented.

The Hagestein Weir is the outer Western weir-lock complex on the Rhine en is nearly identical to ... more The Hagestein Weir is the outer Western weir-lock complex on the Rhine en is nearly identical to the other two complexes - in Driel and Amerongen. The weir contains two so-called "visor gates", each op 54 m span. In the operational lowered position, the gates suffered from extensive vibrations. The problem was solved by developing the bottom seal profile of another shape. In this part of the article, the study on this problem is presented.

Two structural systems dominate the choice of a very long span bridge nowadays – the suspension a... more Two structural systems dominate the choice of a very long span bridge nowadays – the suspension and cable-stayed bridge, both with one or more main spans and in steel or concrete version. Yet, the combination of these possibilities leaves the designer with quite many options. The question which option represents the best choice has been studied in details as part of the Western Scheldt Crossing project in the Netherlands. This paper presents the conclusions of that study and the comparative conceptual designs of four final bridge options. The results can be indicative for prospective studies on long span bridge crossings in other projects.

We know that the condition of bridges and viaducts should answer the requirements of developing t... more We know that the condition of bridges and viaducts should answer the requirements of developing traffic loads. However, also the infrastructure or area under the bridge can develop and generate requirements for that bridge. As a result, the existing space under the bridge needs to be widened or heightened. This paper presents three modification and reconstruction projects in the Netherlands, which have resulted in heightening and widening of the navigation clearance under existing bridges. Inland navigation – carrying cargo, passengers or just recreational – constitutes an important branch of the Dutch economy. Additionally, the discussed projects comprised substantial improvements of technical condition, which extended the service life of the bridges.

To improve the navigation on the Juliana Canal, a waterway from the Netherlands to Belgium and Fr... more To improve the navigation on the Juliana Canal, a waterway from the Netherlands to Belgium and France, two bridge crossings had to be raised by over 3.0 m. The raising project required a thorough consideration to the condition of all sub- and superstructures, their behaviour during raising and in raised positions, remaining service life etc. This paper presents the highlights of the project.

Environmental consideration to the choice of construction materials is an issue of growing import... more Environmental consideration to the choice of construction materials is an issue of growing importance in engineering. In the Netherlands, as in some other countries, the government responds to this issue by promoting materials and technologies which reduce environmental impact of both public and private projects. However, an assessment of this impact is quite complex, especially in regard to complex construction projects. The existing analytical methods like LCA (life-cycle analysis) require an extensive data input. These data are not known yet at the early stage of a project, when the materials are usually selected.
This paper presents a relatively simple ecological material analysis for a bridge. The method of this analysis was originally developed to evaluate a number of material options for a pedestrian bridge in the Noordland inner harbor, Province of Zeeland. In that particular project, the analysis resulted in an advice pointing to a bridge of pultruded FGRP sections as the environmentally best option. The customer, Regional Directorate for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat), followed this advice. The bridge is in service since November 2001. The environmental analysis performed for this project has already been presented on two EPTA conferences [1], [2]. It has also been published in the Netherlands [3] and in Germany [4]. For the purpose of the current presentation, however, some new aspects and an important new material option (concrete) have been investigated. The idea was to present an approach that can directly be applied in comparable environmental analyses for other construction projects.

This paper presents a relatively simple, practical method for the analysis of environmental impac... more This paper presents a relatively simple, practical method for the analysis of environmental impacts of bridge material selection. Choosing construction materials for a bridge – e.g. steel, concrete, timber, aluminium, composite – is not only an economical, functional or esthetical issue. It also affects the environment. The following discussion concerns the way to quantify environmental impacts in comparable terms – and to assess possible material choices respectively.

A global assessment method of material selection for a bridge is presented. The method differs fr... more A global assessment method of material selection for a bridge is presented. The method differs from the existing practice in the sense that it regards the environmental impact as an important criterion of this selection. While the other criteria, e.g. total costs, service life etc. are quite well quantifiable in the current engineering practice, the environmental impact of material choices is still subject to arbitrary presumptions and emotions. The presented method aims at changing that by basing the analysis on the reliable energy consumption and pollution data on the one hand – and the existing legislation about the emissions to air and water on the other hand. In particular the latter reduces the arbitrariness and gives the discussed approach an impartial character.
The method is discussed using a realized footbridge project as an example. The performed analysis pointed in that case to a bridge of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP’s) as the environmentally most advantageous material option. The customer followed that recommendation and the FRP bridge was constructed in 2001. It performs remarkably well since then, confirming the computed ecological and other advantages.

Hydraulic closures, such as lock gates, movable weirs, flood and storm surge barriers, take a num... more Hydraulic closures, such as lock gates, movable weirs, flood and storm surge barriers, take a number of positions during operation. Therefore, the support conditions of these structures are usually complex. This applies to outer supports, e.g. to massive concrete structures, as well as to inner supports, hinges etc., like contact elements between gate leaves, contacts of sluice valves, wheel units, drive junctions etc. The complexity of support conditions is an important property that distinguishes hydraulic closures from heavily loaded, location-tied structures, like industrial or utility buildings, bridges etc.
This property deserves particular consideration in lock gates, especially on intensively navigated waterways. High frequency of gate movements causes wear of hinges and slide joints, contact strength decrease due to friction heat, changes of contact surface condition, material fatigue in contact areas, excessive deformations etc. This, in turn, often results in serious disturbances of gate operation – going together with unexpected loads or uncontrolled changes of the gate system behavior.
This article presents some investigation results and field experiences concerning hydraulic gate contacts, collected from the author’s research and design practice in the Netherlands. The discussed contact phenomena, properties and analysis methods were subject to his doctoral thesis, supervised and defended at the Gdansk University of Technology in Poland.

Hydraulic gates in locks, weirs, movable flood barriers, shipyard and harbour docks etc. constitu... more Hydraulic gates in locks, weirs, movable flood barriers, shipyard and harbour docks etc. constitute a quite exceptional group of structures. This exceptional character originates from the fact that their behaviour does not usually follow the rules of one structural system under all operation conditions. The system changes dependent on loading conditions that are active at a particular time. This property does not apply to most other structures. It has already been dis-cussed in the PIANC Magazine [Daniel & Dembicki, 2006], along with its impact on gate system selection and some investigation results. That discussion was focussed on mitre gates, the most frequently used type of hydraulic gates in navigation structures.
The aim of the current article is to draw attention to some aspects of gate contact behaviour, not necessarily referring to mitre gates. Recent years brought new developments in this matter. These developments concern both the design practice and field experience with existing structures. It is impossible to discuss all of them, therefore only some recent practices are selected. More issues and a broader discussion are presented in the author’s latest book in this field [Daniel, 2011].

Steel is a nearly standard material for the construction of movable navigation structures, like l... more Steel is a nearly standard material for the construction of movable navigation structures, like lock gates. Yet, it not only requires attention to its mechanical properties, like strength and stiffness, but also to the chemical ones, particularly to corrosion. This article presents the consideration and choices in this matter that have been conducted in the project of new steel gates for the Orange Locks in Amsterdam.

In the past 30 years, composites made a remarkable advance on the construction market, including ... more In the past 30 years, composites made a remarkable advance on the construction market, including bridge building. So far, the shapes of composite bridges follow, however, the shapes that have been introduced in other, conventional materials, like steel or concrete. This is a usual process for newcomers. Now the composites can be regarded "grown-up", it is time to introduce other bridge shapes that make a better use of composite properties. This article presents some ideas in that direction.

So far, composite bridges have basically followed the forms acquired from the engineering practic... more So far, composite bridges have basically followed the forms acquired from the engineering practice in other materials, like steel. This was indeed a proper approach in the introduction stage of composite bridges. The best way to win customer’s confidence was then to copy the shapes and sections well-tested in other materials. Therefore we usually see composite Ibeams, channels, box girders, deck grids etc. that resemble the conventional steel components. Now the customer’s confidence is growing, it is time to review this strategy and to ask which shapes are appropriate for the best performances of composites in bridge structures. This paper presents some considerations concerning the shape selection of composite bridges. Attention has been paid to the shapes of entire bridges as well as their components, such as decks, girders, crossbeams etc. In particular, the anisotropic nature of composite materials and their relatively flexible technology offer the possibility to apply shapes of double curvature, smooth transitions, less fatigue sensitivity, high strength properties in the areas of stress peaks etc. Some new shape ideas for composite bridges have globally been sketched and discussed. The paper represents a view of a structural engineer rather than a composite technologist. The presented suggestions have, however, been discussed with some technologists. The intention is to continue this discussion, because the combination of both disciplines’ know-how can be seen as a precondition for successful composite application in bridge projects.

Inżynieria Morska i Geotechnika (Maritime and Soil Engineering), no. 3/2024, 2024

Inżynieria Morska i Geotechnika (Maritime and Soil Engineering), no. 2023/04, 2023

The Hagestein Weir is the outer Western weir-lock complex on the Rhine en is nearly identical to ... more The Hagestein Weir is the outer Western weir-lock complex on the Rhine en is nearly identical to the other two complexes - in Driel and Amerongen. The weir contains two so-called "visor gates", each op 54 m span. In the operational lowered position, the gates suffered from extensive vibrations. The problem was solved by developing the bottom seal profile of another shape. In this part of the article, the study on this problem is presented.

Hydraulic Structures are subject to varying loads of more or less cyclic character. These loads a... more Hydraulic Structures are subject to varying loads of more or less cyclic character. These loads are primarily generated by differential water heads on, e.g., navigation lock gates, but also by waves, drive system forces and other actions. As a result, the designers must take account of an additional failure mode of these structures – the failure by fatigue.
The author was an initiator of a PIANC international Working Group in this field that recently published its report. To introduce this report to the engineering community, the ICE and British Section of PIANC organised a Seminar that also included the author's presentation. This document contains a PDF of that presentation.

Hydraulic sites, like river weirs, dams, locks and flood barriers contain structures of relativel... more Hydraulic sites, like river weirs, dams, locks and flood barriers contain structures of relatively long service lives. However, also these structures can suffer substantial damages. The question that arises then is whether to repair the structure or replace it by one that better suits modern technology.
Legitimate as it is, this question is often subjected to pressures that are not supported by analyses, let alone the care for technological heritage. Instead, they reflect commercial or other particular interests. They also benefit from the emotions after the damage that demand radical solutions. The strategies applied resemble the so-called “shock doctrine”, the term introduced by Naomi Klein in her book of the same title.
This presentation discusses some experiences with this phenomenon, collected from the failures of hydraulic steel structures in the Netherlands and occasionally in other countries. It provides a short analysis of the pressures that engineers experience, followed by some practical notions on how to handle them.

presentation on PIANC-NL Members' Session, 2019

The book "Lock Gates and Other Closures in Hydraulic Projects" by R. Daniel and T. Paulus is an e... more The book "Lock Gates and Other Closures in Hydraulic Projects" by R. Daniel and T. Paulus is an elaborate (about 1000 pages) monography on movable hydraulic structures, like navigation locks, river weirs, flood barriers, closures in hydroelectric power plants, shipyard docks etc. It presents a broad range of issues in design, operation and maintenance of such structures. The discussion combines the traditional engineering aspects with the key issues of our times, like environmental care, concern about climate change, asset management, handling accidents and calamities and the like. The book presentation took place during an annual meeting of the Dutch PIANC Group in October 2019.

Gids voor de bouwers en beheerders van beweegbare waterkeringen van vandaag, 2019

Na mijn pensionering bij Rijkswaterstaat in 2015 besloot ik samen met een collega van U.S. Army C... more Na mijn pensionering bij Rijkswaterstaat in 2015 besloot ik samen met een collega van U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) een boek te schrijven over sluisdeuren en andere beweegbare waterkeringen. Dit boek "Lock Gates and Other Closures in Hydraulic Projects" werd eind 2018 uitgegeven en vormt een omvangrijk (ca. 1000 pagina’s) naslagwerk voor het ontwerpen, bouwen, onderhouden en managen van beweegbare waterkeringen. Het is ook een boek dat zich niet beperkt tot de “conventionele” techniek maar sluit aan bij de vraagstukken van deze tijd, zoals zorg voor het milieu, kwetsbaarheid van ecosystemen, omgaan met klimaatverandering, zeespiegelrijzing, asset management en behandeling van ongelukken en calamiteiten. Ons boek vormt een poging om de kennis op dit gebied zo te presenteren dat de vakgenoten over de hele wereld zich erin kunnen vinden. Heel veel deskundigen hebben hieraan gewerkt. Het is dus niet alleen de “Nederlandse”, “Amerikaanse” of een andere nationale visie. We geloven dat dit boek de komende jaren wereldwijd een belangrijk referentiemateriaal zal worden voor collega-ingenieurs.