Risks in hydraulic structures
Introduction
Hydraulic engineering is the branch of civil engineering that deals with the design and execution of works related to water, whether for the use of hydraulic energy, irrigation, purification, canalization "Canal (hydraulics)") or others, or for the construction of structures in seas, rivers, lakes or similar environments, including, for example, dikes, dams, canals "Canal (engineering)"), ports, docks (construction)"), locks, breakwaters, adaptation of other constructions. It has generated the term water engineering.[1].
Areas of activity
Hydraulic engineers are responsible for designing, building and operating hydraulic works, using mainly research, since hydraulic engineering is based, almost 90%, on experimental results. Leonardo da Vinci stated: «When dealing with water, consult practice first, and then theory». Much progress has been made since then, both ways. The theoretical formulations always use the most advanced mathematical instruments of each era, but in the end, an empirical coefficient always ends up appearing, an empirical formula, which is put into practice for its subsequent calibration. Once this is done, the validation of said formula or coefficient is verified, like any experimental test, thus allowing the practical problem to be solved, and which was determined based on experiments, both in the laboratory and in built and operating works.
Hydraulic engineers deal with:.
• - So-called large structures such as, for example, dams "Dam (hydraulic)"), locks, navigable canals "Canal (artificial waterway)"), ports "Port (navigation)"), etc.
• - Works related to agriculture, specialization in hydraulic engineering, known as agricultural hydraulics (own branch of agricultural engineering): irrigation systems, drainage systems.
• - Works related to the environment: filter dams for erosion control, river channeling works").
• - works related to the supply of drinking water, from wells, distribution networks, construction of collection and storage.
University education
In some universities there is a degree in hydraulic engineering, in Peru, the National University of Cajamarca has this specialty (see Archived on September 23, 2015 at the Wayback Machine., as well as the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos with Fluid Mechanics Engineering Archived July 26, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. It has two specialties: Thermo fluids and Hydraulics. The Hydraulic engineer specializes in the topics that have been previously discussed, focusing not only on the development, but also on the study of the appropriate location of said structures. and the application of genetic algorithms, the hydraulic engineering career has made great progress, allowing the hydraulic engineer to find solutions that are far from conventional ones and that, in addition to being viable, are more economically acceptable.