Internal Erosion in Earthdams, Dikes and Levees

The volume contains the contributions to the 26th Annual Meeting of the European Working Group on Internal Erosion in Embankment Dams, Levees and Dikes, and their Foundations (EWG-IE), held at Politecnico di Milano, in Milano, Italy, from September 10 to 13, 2018. The European Working Group was set up in 1993 to focus on the vulnerability of dams to internal erosion. After an inaugural workshop on definitions and needs, the Group has regularly organized Annual Meetings to share knowledge and address emerging issues on soil internal erosion in water retaining structures. Over the years, the Meetings have seen the participation of university researchers, scientists and engineers from agencies, industries, and public bodies, from Europe and overseas. Following the last successful event in Delft in September 2017, the objective of the meeting in Milano was to serve as a fertile discussion platform, strengthening sound knowledge as well as introducing novel ideas, in the thematic areas in line with the traditional aims of EWG-IE. More than 100 authors, coming from academic institutions, private and public bodies, in European and overseas countries, contributed to the peer-reviewed papers included in the volume. These are grouped into four sections, namely • Laboratory techniques and findings; • From modeling to design criteria; • Prevention measures and field assessment; • Open issues for discussion and contribution. We gratefully acknowledge the careful reviewing work by the members of the Scientific Committee, the technical and administrative support by Federica Aggio and Silvia Spada of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the skills, patience and care of Marco Caruso who took charge of the editing process, and the support of Politecnico di Milano in providing the facilities for the organization of the meeting. Finally, we are very glad to have hosted the contributors in Milano, a city that was able to evolve and expand its horizons, from the Celtic origin to the twenty-first century, to become a center where dynamism and creativity still coexist with the quietness of old hidden corners. Cristina Jommi, Donatella Sterpi Chairpersons of 26th Annual Meeting