INVESTIGATION OF FAILURE OF RIVERBANK PROTECTION STRUCTURE: A CASE STUDY IN LONG AN PROVINCE, VIETNAM

The riverbank protection structure is an essential structure constructed to protect the riverbank from the natural and human impact. Therefore, ensuring safety for this project is very important. However, this structure can still have technical failures during construction or working stages. The failure of riverbank protection structures poses significant challenges to infrastructure stability and environmental sustainability, particularly in regions with complex geotechnical conditions. Thus, this study aims to investigate the causes of the failure with the case study is the Long Hau riverbank protection project in Long An Province, Vietnam. In doing so, a combination of on-site observations and numerical simulations using PLAXIS 2D was employed to analyze the stability of the structure and identify potential failure mechanisms. The results revealed a displacement of 8.7 cm in the bearing pile and a total structural displacement of 19.2 cm obtained from the numerical analysis, which agree well with those from field observations. Key factor contributing to the failure is the selection of the structure position, consequently leading to insufficient soil compaction, uneven settlement, and underestimated lateral forces during design. The study highlights the critical need for comprehensive site assessments, detailed numerical modeling, and regular maintenance to ensure long-term stability. In addition, the findings provide valuable insights into riverbank protection practices and provide a basis for proposing appropriate solutions for future work.