Before the dam was built, a model the size of a soccer field was made in Leningrad!

Before the dam was built, a model the size of a soccer field was made in Leningrad!
Nikolai Adamovich/TASS
In Leningrad in 1983-1984, they created a general hydraulic model of the Neva Delta and the Neva Bay on a scale of 1 to 500.

Floods have always been the most important threat to St. Petersburg. Now, the city is protected a dam, which was built over 30 years.

Mistakes in the construction of a protective hydraulic structure could have been fatal. Therefore, in Leningrad in 1983-1984, they created a general hydraulic model of the Neva Delta and the Neva Bay on a scale of 1 to 500. In laboratory conditions, engineers staged flood situations, monitored currents and waves, checked the speed of water flows and pressure drops.

Before the dam was built, a model the size of a soccer field was made in Leningrad!
Nikolai Adamovich/TASS

The model occupied about 6,000 sq. meters. It was placed in a giant pool with a total area of​ about 8,000 sq. meters. The layout was equipped with 200 sensitive sensors. During the simulation of flooding, water from the Gulf of Finland was supplied at a speed of 2,000 liters per second.

Before the dam was built, a model the size of a soccer field was made in Leningrad!
P.Vostrikov/Sputnik

But, not all citizens welcomed the idea of​​ building a dam. Therefore, access to the model was opened to all comers. Spectators were invited to climb the bridge over the “water area”, where they were shown the device in action.

Before the dam was built, a model the size of a soccer field was made in Leningrad!
A.Lobov/Sputnik
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