Software & Tools

RMC Internal Erosion Suite

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Risk Management Center (RMC) developed a set of toolboxes to help dam and levee safety risk assessors assess the likelihood of initiation of concentrated leak erosion, initiation and progression of backward erosion piping, and initiation of soil contact erosion. It also includes toolboxes to help assess erodibility parameters, susceptibility to internal instability, likelihood of continuation of internal erosion, and likelihood of breach.


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RMC Backward Erosion Piping (Initiation) Toolbox
 
RMC Backward Erosion Piping (Progression) Toolbox
 
RMC Breach Toolbox
 
RMC Concentrated Leak Erosion (Cracking) Toolbox

The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox deterministically and probabilistically assess the likelihood of initiation of backward erosion piping using blanket theory as described in TM 3-424 (1956) and EM 1110-2-1913 (2000), with corrections and additions from ERDC/GSL TR-18-24 (Brandon et al. 2018), and first-order second-moment method of reliability analysis as described in ETL 1110-2-561 (2006).

 

The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox deterministically and probabilistically assess the likelihood of backward erosion piping progression (hydraulic condition) using the adjusted Schmertmann (2000) method and the adjusted calculation rule of Sellmeijer et al. (2011) in addition to the creep ratio methods of Bligh (1910) and Lane (1935).

 

The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox can be used to help assess the likelihood of breach due to gross enlargement of a concentrated leak pipe using the excess shear stress equation, unravelling of the downstream slope due to flows through the rockfill, and sinkhole development, in addition to providing general guidance for assessing slope instability.

 

The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox assess the crack width and depth using case histories, results of numerical modeling, empirical relationships, and published values in addition to the Fell et al. (2008) methodology. These parameters support the evaluation of the likelihood of initiation of concentrated leak erosion.

This is the RMC Backward Erosion Piping (Initiation) Toolbox version 1.11.

  This is the RMC Backward Erosion Piping (Progression) Toolbox version 1.8.   This is the RMC Breach Toolbox version 1.10.   This is the RMC Concentrated Leak Erosion (Cracking) Toolbox version 1.9.


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RMC Concentrated Leak Erosion (Initiation) Toolbox
 
RMC Erodibility Parameters Toolbox
 
RMC Filter Evaluation (Continuation) Toolbox
 
RMC Internal Instability Toolbox

The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox deterministically and probabilistically assess the likelihood of initiation of concentrated leak erosion by estimating the hydraulic shear stress in pipes and transverse cracks in addition to the adapted methodology of Fell et al. (2008).

 

The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox assess the critical shear stress and erodibility coefficient using empirical relationships and published values based on field and laboratory testing. These parameters support the evaluation of the likelihood of soil erosion.

  The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox assess the particle retention and permeability criteria for filter materials It includes modern no erosion filter design criteria, Foster and Fell (2001) method for filters that do not meet modern filter design criteria, and the Fell and Foster (2023) method for "continuing erosion" condition for constricted exits.  

The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox deterministically assess the susceptibility to internal instability using the Burenkova (1993) method, modified Burenkova method for broadly graded and gap-graded soils of Wan and Fell (2004), alternative method for broadly graded soils of Wan and Fell (2008), modified Kenney and Lau method for broadly graded and gap-graded soils of Li and Fannin (2008), and suggested method for classifying the mechanism and amount of internal erosion for broadly graded soils of Douglas et al. (2019).

This is the RMC Concentrated Leak Erosion (Initiation) Toolbox version 1.12.  

This is the RMC Erodibility Parameters Toolbox version 1.7.

 

This is the RMC Filter Evaluation (Continuation) Toolbox version 1.11.

 

This is the RMC Internal Instability Toolbox version 1.8.


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RMC Pipe Service Life (Flaw) Toolbox
 
RMC Soil Classification Toolbox
 
RMC Soil Contact Erosion (Initiation) Toolbox

The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox assess the remaining service life of steel, aluminum, concrete, iron, plastic, and clay pipes, especially for the pipe invert, when the existing condition is unknown due to lack of recent detailed inspection. This assessment supports the evaluation of internal migration into open defects in the pipe body.

  The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox assess the Unified Soil Classification (USCS) group symbol using the methods of ASTM D2487, generate soil plasticity charts and cumulative particle-size distribution plots, as well as perform statistical analysis of gradation data to support evaluation of backward erosion piping, soil contact erosion, and internal instability.   The spreadsheet tools contained in this toolbox deterministically and probabilistically assess the likelihood of initiation of soil contact erosion using the methods of Guidoux et al. (2010) for sand, silt, and sand/clay mixtures below gravel and Brauns (1985) for sand below gravel.

This is the RMC Pipe Service Life (Flaw) Toolbox version 1.1.

  This is the RMC Soil Classification Toolbox version 1.2.
 
  This is the RMC Soil Contact Erosion (Initiation) Toolbox version 1.9.

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