Finished Projects

The aim of the project is to improve flood protection and the ecological condition of the river. To prove the function and to optimize the measures, a hydraulic model test was carried out.

In this EU project, the aim was to develop methods to maintain or restore the manifold functions of a water body. One focus was on the river morphological processes.

The project "Renaturation of the Lutz" aimed at improving the ecological condition of the Lutz River while maintaining flood safety. To optimize the planning, a hydraulic model test was carried out.

The aim of the project was the development of a bottom-level protection structure for the transition from non-widened to widened stretches of water in order to avoid river bed erosion upstream. The bottom-identical execution also allows a good ecological passability.

Information from a bedload transport model provides important information for hydraulic engineering planning.

The damage caused by the extreme flood in June 2013 was analyzed and its effects on the river stretch were studied.

By means of hydraulic engineering model tests it was examined how large the discharge capacity of a screen inclined against the flow with a gap between screen and soil is.

For the planned reconstruction of the weir to improve bed load continuity and flood protection, an optimized solution was developed by means of model tests.

Further development and practical application of the loose riprap method for river bed stabilization and flood protection on a river in Vorarlberg.

Development of a structure that on the one hand is passable for fish and on the other hand a mill stream is always supplied with water. Particularly challenging were the location of the structure in a bend and the fine-grained loess subsoil on which the structure had to be built.

In 2009, essential planning principles were developed, each relating to an entire water body. In order for planning to be carried out in accordance with these principles, appropriate data collection is also required. The possible quality of planning results is directly related to the quality of the available data.

Measures were developed for flood protection up to a one-hundred-year flood in Hallein (Salzburg) and reliable bedload transport through the power plant located on the river bed. The model tests took place in 2009.

In this research project, which was completed in 2009, the construction method for ramps, which are to replace existing bed sills, was further developed. The focus was on fish migration to improve the ecological function of streams and rivers.

This project, completed in 2009, was concerned with the further development of comprehensive measures to reduce the risks associated with floods. In particular, we dealt with morphological issues as well as with links to other topics.

In 2009 for the border section of the Salzach between the mouth of the Saalach and the mouth into the Inn, it was investigated how different construction methods are basically suitable for stabilising the river bed. In addition, the results were generalised so that they could be applied to other water bodies.

The overall river engineering project Danube east of Vienna aims to improve the conditions for navigation and the ecological conditions in the Danube Floodplains National Park on a sustainable basis. In 2007 and 2008, model tests were carried out to test whether a coarser layer of gravel on the Danube bed was suitable for this purpose.

At the mouth of the Sill, a new flatter, fish-continuous ramp has been developed to replace a steep ramp. Furthermore, it was investigated whether a part of the structure could also be used for white water sports (kayaking or wave surfing). These investigations took place in 2008.

In 2007, a new design formula was developed for structured ramps. The special feature of this formula is that it includes a degree of tolerance. In the event of flooding, individual stones can move without endangering the stability of the ramp. This results in more economical stone sizes. Furthermore, it was found that stable bank protections can be built less expensively.

This investigation took place in 2006 and 2007 and was conducted by the Technical University of Munich. We contributed to this project with our experience in planning, dimensioning and model test technology.

In a large-scale framework study, general solutions for stabilising the river Salzach over a stretch of more than 50 kilometers were developed.

In 2006 measuring instruments for recording the suspended solids content in flowing waters were tested under laboratory conditions. One of the main findings of the project was that it is essential to calibrate the measuring devices based on the locally available suspended matter.

In 2005 various bed stabilisation methods (bed sills, open armour layer, structured ramp) were tested and optimised.

In 2004 for the river Saalach on the border between Bavaria (Germany) and Austria, a special type of ramp was developed which is easily adjustable in height.

"Primrose" was an EU research project on constructed wetlands and took place between 2001 and 2004. Our contribution were special model tests concerning the sedimentation behaviour of suspended solids. The better suspended matter is retained in the constructed wetland, the better is its effect.

Within the framework of an event analysis, the causes of flood damage were investigated and recommendations were developed on how damage can be reduced in future in the case of events of the same size. We dealt in particular with geomorphological issues.

In 2004 an exchange of personnel between the Bavarian State Office for Water Management and us took place to exchange specialised knowledge regarding the application of numerical models and hydraulic engineering practice.

This project was carried out in 2003. By means of model tests the concept of the engineering office DonauConsult was optimised. With this concept ecologically incompatible dredging in the river can be avoided.

A riverbed stabilisation concept was developed for the section of the Salzach at the border to Germany. Part of this concept was a self-dynamic widening of the river, which was developed in model tests. Comparisons between model tests and nature show that the predictability is given.

The aim of the project is a sustainable and dynamic stabilisation of the river bed by widening the river bed. This is the first bed stabilisation with river bed widening developed in Austria. A model test was carried out in 1995 to check the feasibility and optimise the measures.

The flow resistance caused by plants in the watercourse was investigated using three different plant species in 2001.

Model tests in 1999 were concerned with improving the flood diversion for the dam.

Following flood damage to the tracks of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) in the Eschenau (Salzburg) area, model tests were carried out in 1999 to develop a solution that would prevent this from happening in the future.

As a replacement for an old, partially destroyed weir, a new structure was developed in 1998, consisting of a wooden weir sill and a ramp that is passable for fish.

In the course of the improvement of flood protection for St. Pölten and the construction of buildings for the Lower Austrian provincial government, it was necessary to develop suitable measures which should not only be functional but also architecturally designed. For this purpose we carried out model tests in 1996.

The construction of the new weir was intended to improve both the energy production of a power station and flood protection for the city. To this end, in 1995 we developed a solution which also takes into account the transport of solids during floods.

The mouth of the Ill into the Rhine has been optimised to reduce the load on the Swiss bank. The measure was also necessary because the existing structure was no longer sufficiently stable. These model tests were carried out in 1987.

For the safe operation of the water tank, an emptying system had to be developed in 1984, which transports the water 70 metres down a vertical shaft.

Large-scale model tests were carried out in 1981 for the flood discharge area around the planned power plant on the Danube in Lower Austria.

Vertical drop structure downstream of the Lehener Bridge

In order to avoid further river bed deepening in the city of Salzburg and thus also to prevent the railway bridge over the Salzach from collapsing, a river bed stabilisation measure had to be developed. This was done in 1963 by means of model tests at our premises in Severingasse.

A flood spillway was to be developed for a flood retention basin. Due to the limited space available, it was decided to use a siphon weir, which was tested in model experiments in 1962.

Measures have been developed to avoid the risk of reduced flow in the Danube Canal in Vienna as a result of icing up at the diversion from the Danube.

In 1954 a spillway was developed for a dam on the Kamp in Lower Austria. This system worked perfectly during the extreme flood in 2002.