EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE FAILURE OF CASCADE LANDSLIDE DAMS

• Published in: Journal of hydrodynamics. Series B 2012-07, Vol.24 (3), p.430-441
• Main Authors: NIU, Zhi-pan, XU, Wei-lin, LI, Nai-wen, XUE, Yang, CHEN, Hua-yong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cascade landslide dam failure; Engineering; Engineering Fluid Dynamics; Hydrology/Water Resources; inflow discharge; labeled lines locating method; Numerical and Computational Physics; overtopping; Simulation; sloping flume; 堰塞坝; 定位方法; 实验; 模型试验; 洪水风险管理; 流动模式; 测量方法; 级联
• ISSN: 1001-6058; 1878-0342
• DOI: 10.1016/S1001-6058(11)60264-3

This paper presents results of model tests for the landslide dam failure of a single dam and cascade dams in a sloping channel. The dams were designed to be regular trapezoid with fine sand. A new measuring method named the labeled line locating method was used to digitalize the captured instantaneous pictures. Under two different inflow discharges, the morphological evolution and the flow patterns during one dam failure and the failure of cascade dams were investigated. The results indicate that when the inflow discharge is large, the deformation pattern of the downstream dam is similar to that of the upstream dam, and both dams are characterized with the overtopping scour throughout the dam failure process. When the inflow discharge is small, the upstream dam is scoured mainly through a sluice slot formed by the longitudinal incision, and the downstream dam is characterized with the overtopping scour. The data set presented in this paper can be used for the validation of numerical models and provide a reference for the flood risk management of cascade landslide dams.