Numerical simulation of landslide dam breaching due to overtopping

The breach of landslide dam often causes significant disaster in the inundated area; the prediction of breach hydrograph is in high demand for the dam breach risk evaluation. In this study, according to the model tests and Tangjiashan landslide dam breach case, the surface erosion accompanied by intermittent mass failure is known as the key breaching mechanism for landslide dam due to overtopping failure. The downstream slope angle would gradually decrease during the dam-breaching process, whereas a planar wedge failure occurs when the breach slopes at the dam crest and downstream breach channel fail. Based on the breach mechanism, a numerical model for landslide dam breach due to overtopping is developed to simulate the coupling process of water and soil. The model focuses on the breach morphology evolution during the breaching for the sake of the improvement of breach hydrograph prediction. Furthermore, the model can handle one- and two-sided breach, as well as incomplete and base erosion at the vertical direction. The case study of Tangjiashan landslide dam-breaching feedback analysis testifies the rationality of the present model with the relative errors less than 10% for peak discharge, final breach widths, and time to peak. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the final breach depth and soil erodibility affect the breach flow prediction of the landslide dam significantly, whereas the one- or two-sided breach mode is less sensitive.     

堰塞湖应急处置实践与认识

堰塞湖是由于山体滑坡、崩塌、泥石流等堵塞河道形成的没有经过专门设计、没有专门的泄水设施的湖泊,一旦溃决,容易给下游造成巨大的灾难。分析了堰塞湖的成因、溃决机理与风险判断,提出堰塞湖应急处置的原则、理念、阶段与处置方法,总结了堰塞湖应急处置中的一些经验和认识。以四川省汶川特大地震形成的堰塞湖应急处置为例,从可能溃决方式、溃坝洪水、应急除险总体方案、开渠引流方案和除险效果等方面,介绍了唐家山堰塞湖的应急处置实践,并简要介绍了其它一些堰塞湖应急处置。     

红石河堰塞湖漫顶溃坝风险评估

四川省青川县红石河堰塞湖是2008年5月12日汶川大地震形成的34座大型堰塞湖之一,是由东河口滑坡堵塞红石河形成的。该堰塞体高度约50 m、宽度约250 m、顺河向长度约500 m、形成的最大库容约400万m3。本文作者对红石河堰塞体做了较详尽的现场试验,包括土的冲蚀试验、土的基本物性试验等。基于现场试验数据,对土的冲蚀性和漫顶溃坝风险做了详细的分析。结果显示,从土的抗冲蚀性角度考虑,只要有水溢出就会有土体被冲蚀,这说明红石河堰塞体的漫顶溃决可能性较高。本文还提出经验公式来预测红石河堰塞体漫顶的溃决时间,大约为4.5d,如果考虑到大石块对抗冲蚀稳定性的有利影响,这一数值会增大。此外,还研究了溃决深度随时间的变化规律。     

Usoi Dam Wave Overtopping and Flood Routing in the Bartang and Panj Rivers, Tajikistan

The Usoi dam was created in the winter of 1911 after an enormous seismogenic rock slide completely blocked the valley of the Bartang River in the Pamir Mountains of southeastern Tajikistan. At present the dam impounds 17 million cubic meters of water in Lake Sarez. Flood volume and discharge estimates were made for several landslide generated floods that could overtop the dam. For landslide volumes of 200, 500, and 1,000 million cubic meters, estimated overtopping flood volumes were 2, 22, and 87 million cubic meters of water, respectively. Estimated peak discharge at the dam for these three flood scenarios were 57,000, 490,000, and 1,580,000 m³/s, based on triangular hydrographs of 70-, 90-, and 110-s durations, respectively. Flood-routing simulations were made for the three landslide-induced overtopping floods over a 530-km reach of the Bartang and Panj Rivers below the Usoi dam. A one-dimensional flow model using a Riemann numerical solution technique was selected for the analysis. For the 87 million cubic meter volume overtopping flood scenario, the peak flows were approximately 1, 100, 800, and 550 m³/s at locations 50, 100, and 150 km downstream of the dam respectively.     

粘土心墙坝漫顶溃坝过程离心模型试验与数值模拟

利用作者研制成功的溃坝离心模型试验系统,对粘土心墙坝漫顶溃决过程进行了试验研究,结果发现粘土心墙坝与均质坝溃决机理与溃口发展规律明显不同,随着漫坝水流对下游坝壳冲蚀程度的增加,粘土心墙发生剪断破坏,溃口洪水流量迅速增大.基于上述试验结果,提出了一个描述粘土心墙坝漫顶溃坝过程的数学模型,并建议了相应的数值计算方法.该模型...     

Analysis of human risks due to dam break floods—part 2: application to Tangjiashan landslide dam failure

The Tangjiashan landslide dam was formed during the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and posed high risks to 1.2?million people downstream the dam. A human risk analysis model (HURAM) reported in the companion paper is applied to evaluate the human risk in the Tangjiashan landslide dam failure. The characteristics of this landslide dam are introduced first. The breaching parameters in two cases (i.e., the actual case and a high erodibility case) are predicted with a physically based model, and the flood routing processes in these two cases are simulated using numerical analysis. The population at risk downstream of the landslide dam is then obtained based on the results of the flood routing simulations. Subsequently, the human risks are analyzed with HURAM using Bayesian networks. Fourteen influence parameters and their interrelationships are considered in a systematic structure in the case study. A change in anyone of them may affect the other parameters and leads to loss of life. HURAM allows not only cause-to-result inference, but also result-to-cause inference by updating the Bayesian network with specific information from the study case. The uncertainties of the parameters and their relationships are studied both at the global level using multiple sources of information and at the local level by updating the prior probabilities.     

无粘性均质土石坝漫顶溃决试验研究

针对当前土石坝溃决机理试验研究中泥沙粒径取值偏小、各砂样粒径相差不大的现状,采用粒径对比明显的两组砂样进行了土石坝漫顶溃决试验.试验表明,在给定的较强的初始冲刷条件下,粗细两种颗粒坝体的溃决过程基本一致,均是以水流的下切侵蚀为主,在坝顶下缘位置有溯源冲刷现象出现.整个溃决过程可明显分为3个阶段,第1阶段为坝顶下缘处陡坎形成阶段;第2阶段为陡坎坍塌,冲刷加剧阶段;第3阶段为出现逆行沙垄的冲刷终止阶段.试验还发现,下游坝坡对溃决过程的影响比较显著,坝坡越陡,坝顶侵蚀速率越快,洪峰值越大.另外,由于粗颗粒抗冲刷性强,同等条件下粗颗粒坝体溃决洪水过程偏矮胖,洪峰值偏小,但是值得注意的是,相比于较大的颗粒粒径差距而言,其洪峰值的差异并不是太大.     

基于力学过程的蓄滞洪区洪水风险评估模型及应用

为定量评估分蓄洪工程启用过程中蓄滞洪区的洪水风险等级,创建了基于力学过程的蓄滞洪区洪水风险评估模型。该模型采用二维水动力学模块计算蓄滞洪区的洪水演进过程,利用洪水中人体跌倒失稳公式及洪水中房屋、农作物损失的计算关系式,评估各类受淹对象的洪水风险等级。然后将二维水动力学模块计算的洪水要素与两个物理模型试验值进行对比,表明二维水动力学模块的计算精度良好。最后计算了荆江分洪工程启用时分洪区内洪水的演进过程,并评估洪灾中群众的危险等级和财产损失。计算结果表明:洪水演进至140 h时,蓄滞洪区群众、房屋、水稻和棉花的平均损失率分别为85%、59%、63%和72%。模型中提出的采用基于受淹对象失稳机制的洪水风险分析方法,比以往经验水深法划分风险等级的适用性更好,不仅能为洪水风险管理及蓄滞洪区启用标准制定提供参考,也能推广应用于溃坝或堰塞湖溃决等极端洪水风险评估。     

Formation,failure, and consequences of the Xiaolin landslide dam,triggered by extreme rainfall from Typhoon Morakot,Taiwan

An extreme rainfall event on August 9, 2009, which was close to setting a world record for 48-h accumulated rainfall, induced the Xiaolin deep-seated landslide, which was located in southwestern Taiwan and had volume of 27.6?×?10⁶?m³, and caused the formation of a landslide dam. The landslide dam burst in a very short time, and little information remained afterward. We reconstructed the process of formation and failure of the Xiaolin landslide dam and also inferred the area of the impoundment and topographic changes. A 5?×?5-m digital elevation model, the recorded water stage of the Qishan River, and data from field investigation were used for analysis. The spectral magnitude of the seismic signals induced by the Xiaolin landslide and flooding due to failure of the landslide dam were analyzed to estimate the timing of the dam breach and the peak discharge of the subsequent flood. The Xiaolin landslide dam failure resulted from overtopping. We verified the longevity of the Xiaolin landslide dam at about 2 h relying on seismic signals and water level records. In addition, the inundated area, volume of the impoundment behind the Xiaolin landslide dam, and peak discharge of the flood were estimated at 92.3 ha, 19.5?×?10⁶?m³, and 17?×?10³?m³/s, respectively. The mean velocity of the flood-recession wave front due to the dam blockage was estimated at 28 km/h, and the peak flooding velocity after failure of the dam was estimated at 23 km/h. The Xiaolin landslide provides an invaluable opportunity for understanding the mechanism of deep-seated landslides and flooding processes following a landslide dam failure.     

堰塞坝溃坝模型实验研究综述

堰塞坝是天然形成的坝体,结构比较松散、稳定性差、渗透作用强,发生溃决危险性大、概率高、突发性强,而且破坏可能性高及产生的洪水威胁人们的生命和财产安全,因此需要系统、全面的研究。作者从单坝溃坝、级联溃坝及堰塞坝处置的溃坝试验进行详细的回顾,总结及分析了国内外学者在堰塞坝溃坝模型实验取得的成果及局限性,进一步分析了单坝溃决的颗粒级配、密实度、含水率、沟床坡度等因素,最后讨论了溃坝因素与溃决模式、溃决特征、溃决流量、溃口演化的关系。基于模型实验相似理论及模型比尺、实验测试手段、堰塞坝处置三个方面,提出了今后的研究重点。     

高拱坝施工初-中期导流风险模型及应用

面向工程设计阶段,采用高拱坝施工动态仿真技术获取施工初-中期挡水度汛面貌数据,综合考虑水文、水力随机性因素,构建高拱坝施工初-中期导流风险模型,提出采用Monte Carlo方法耦合挡水度汛面貌数据和主要随机因素进行风险模型求解的方法。基于风险分析原理提出了导流洞设计的风险判别方法,给出导流洞尺寸设计优化的数学模型和具体步骤。通过金沙江上游某高拱坝工程案例分析的结果表明:所提风险模型及求解方法是适用的、有效的,该模型能够得到整个施工初-中期导流风险率,较为客观地反映高拱坝施工中期度汛可能存在的两种挡水情况,克服了初期导流风险模型的局限性;施工中期导流风险率随导流洞尺寸增大而减小,导流洞尺寸设计的可行方案集存在界限,即优化方案。研究成果可为高拱坝施工导流的风险决策和设计优化提供理论支撑。     

Landslide-dammed lake at Tangjiashan,Sichuan province,China (triggered by the Wenchuan Earthquake,May 12, 2008): risk assessment,mitigation strategy,and lessons learned

Landslides and rock avalanches triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake produced 257 landslide dams, mainly situated along the eastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau where rivers descend approximately 3,000 m into the Sichuan Basin. The largest of these dams blocked the Tongkou River (a tributary of the Fujiang River) at Tangjiashan. The blockage, consisting of 2.04 × 10⁷ m³ of landslide debris, impounded a lake with a projected maximum volume of 3.15 × 10⁸ m³, potentially inundating 8.92 km² of terrain. Its creation during the rainy season and the possibility of an uncontrolled release posed a serious, impending threat to at least 1.3 million people downstream that could add substantially to the total of 69,200 individuals directly killed by the earthquake. Risk assessment of the blockage indicated that it was unlikely to collapse suddenly, and that eventual overtopping could be mitigated by notching the structure in order to create an engineered breach and achieve safe drainage of the lake. In addition to the installation of monitoring and warning instrumentation, for emergency planning we estimated several outburst scenarios equivalent to 20, 25, 33, and 50% of the dam failing suddenly, creating, respectively, 3.35, 3.84, 4.22, and 4.65 km² of flooded area, and overbank water depths of 4.6, 5.1, 5.7, and 6.2 m, respectively, in Mianyang, the second largest city in Sichuan Province, 48 km downstream from the blockage. Based on these scenarios, recommendations and plans for excavating a sluiceway, draining the lake, and downstream evacuation were proposed and later were implemented successfully, with the blockage breached by overtopping on June 10, less than a month after dam emplacement. The peak discharge of the release only slightly exceeded the flood of record at Mianyang City. No lives were lost, and significant property damage was avoided. Post-breaching evaluation reveals how future similar mitigation can be improved. Although initial breach erosion was slow, later erosion was judged uncontrollably rapid; increased slope of the engineered channel and adoption of a compound, trapezoid–triangular cross-section can be considered, as can other measures to control the rate of breach incision. Evacuees from Mianyang City spent an unnecessarily long time (12 days) in temporary settlements; more precise risk management planning can reduce this time in the future.     

Risk variation of reservoir regulation during flood season based on bivariate statistical approach under climate change: a case study in the Chengbihe reservoir,China

The risk analysis of reservoir regulation in the flood season is crucial and provides the valuable information for reservoir flood control, safety operation, and decision making, especially under climate change. The purpose of this study is to propose a framework for reasonably estimating the variation of reservoir regulation risk including the dam extreme risk and the overtopping risk during the flood season under climate change. The framework consists of an integrated diagnostic system for detecting the climate abrupt change time, a copula function-based bivariate statistical approach for modeling the dependence between the flood peak and flood volume, a Monte Carlo simulation for generating numerous random flood peak–volume pairs, and a risk calculation model for routing the design flood hydrographs to obtain the frequency curve of the maximum water level reached in front of dam and evaluating the reservoir regulation risk. The methodology was implemented in the Chengbihe reservoir in south China by using the 55-year (1963–2017) hydrometeorological data, including temperature, evaporation, precipitation, and streamflow, in the flood season. Results show that the hydrometeorological series during the flood season changed abruptly in 1992 and the entire data can be divided into two periods (1963–1992 and 1993–2017). The dam extreme risk and overtopping risk during the two periods are assessed, respectively, and a comparison analysis is made based on different flood limit water-level schemes (185.00–188.50 m). It demonstrates that both the dam extreme risk and the dam overtopping risk increase under the influence of climate change. The dam extreme risk increases by 22.91–95.03%, while the climate change-induced increase in the dam overtopping risk is between 38.62 and 123.59%, which indicates that the dam overtopping risk is more sensitive to climate change than the dam extreme risk. The risk evaluations in the study are of great significance in the safety operation and risk management of reservoirs under future climate change.

     

Inundation Potentials Analysis for Tsao-Ling Landslide Lake Formed by Chi-Chi Earthquake in Taiwan

Without any omen, massive landslides induced by the Chi-Chi earthquake blocked up gorges of Ching-Shui creek, and produced a new landslide lake.Although emergency spillways have been constructed to prevent dam failures,overtopping and possible breaching may still occur due to excessive inflows in raining seasons. As a result, the downstream valleys will have serious inundation and the safety of people and properties will be in immediate danger. The purpose of this work is to simulate and to analyze the inundation potentials downstream of Tsao-Ling landslide lake using a hydrologic/hydraulic approach and GIS (Geographic Information System) technology. Hydrologic analysis is employed to describe regional rainfall-runoff characteristics andto design rainfall/runoff scenarios. One-dimensional dam break flood routings are performed with different return periods of rainfall events and dam failure durations for downstream creeks. The depletion hydrographs of dam break routings are applied into two-dimensional overland flow simulations for downstream lowlands. The results of hydraulic computations are evaluated with GIS maps for inundation potentials analysis, which can be usedto assist the planning of emergency response measures.     

某水电站某泥石流沟综合治理概述

某水电站某泥石流沟内常年流水,属季节性排洪沟谷,水动力类型为暴雨,沟内松散物源丰富,具有泥石流发生条件。在上游区以拦挡泥石流为主,通过修建拦挡措施,减少形成泥石流的固体物质,在下游区以防水、边坡防护及引流等措施,通过修建溢流坝截断上游水流对沟内堆渣体渗流影响;通过修建排洪渠及排洪洞引流;通过削坡、修坡进行边坡维护加固。确保了导流洞出口及上下行交通洞进出口的施工期安全及运行安全。     

Risk assessment of earth dam overtopping and its application research

The problem of dam safety is one of the most important research topics of water conservancy projects, and many researchers pay much attention to study the risk of earth dam overtopping. This paper synthesizes in the definition of risk the probabilities of dam failure and the corresponding losses, including the probability estimation, losses evaluation and criteria exploring risk approaches. Then, a comprehensive risk assessment system of dam flood overtopping is established, which is widely applicable. Gate failure, randomness of flood, initial water level and time-varying effects are incorporated in the failure probability model. Many complex factors are simplified in losses estimation. In addition, thresholds of various types of losses are proposed and are adapted to the national conditions. The methodology is applied to the Lianghekou hydropower station in China to illustrate the assessment process of flood overtopping risk and to evaluate its safe loophole with a view to the failure of spillway gates. Monte Carlo simulation and JC method programs are adopted to solve the model based on MATLAB tools and DELPHI. The results show that the losses pose significant impact on the risk assessment and should be considered in the assessment of risk. Probability calculation and loss estimation could be well combined with standards, providing a basis for risk management and decision-making.     

Dynamic process analysis for the formation of Yangjiagou landslide-dammed lake triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake, China

The damming of rivers by landslides resulting in the formation of a lake was one of the typical secondary geological hazards triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake which occurred on May 12, 2008. Some landslide-dammed lakes were at a high risk of causing further damage since the rainstorm season was expected soon after the earthquake. Understanding the dynamic processes in the formation of landslide-dammed lakes is helpful in planning the mitigation measures. The Yangjiagou landslide-dammed lake was selected as a case study to investigate the typical processes of dam formation. The dynamic simulation of the formation of the Yangjiagou landslide-dammed lake was divided into two steps: the landslide step and the overflow/overtopping step. Two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) was adopted to investigate the mechanics of the Yangjiagou landslide. The landslide process was found to be controlled by the bond strength and residual friction coefficient of the DEM models. Computational results show that the formation of the landslide dam took approximately 35 s. The maximum velocity of a typical particle was approximately 26.8 m/s. The shallow-water equation and finite difference method were used to analyze the hydrodynamic mechanisms of the overflow process of the landslide-dammed lake. Computational results show that overflow would have occurred 15.1 h after the river was blocked, and overtopping failure occurs for the landslide dam in the rainstorm season when the water flow is large enough, causing a major disaster.     

考虑不同泄流槽方案的堰塞坝溃决机理分析——以唐家山堰塞坝为例

近年来,频发的地质构造活动和极端气候灾害诱发了大量堰塞坝,严重威胁上下游群众的生命财产安全。开挖泄流槽是最常用降低堰塞坝溃决风险的措施,由于时间非常急迫、交通极度瘫痪,其开挖量非常有限,因此如何利用有限的开挖量将溃坝风险降低至最小是亟待解决的问题。本文基于水土耦合冲刷机理,提出了考虑不同泄流槽方案的堰塞坝溃决机理分析方法,并应用于唐家山堰塞坝。该方法根据水力学参数和坝体抗冲刷性参数动态计算瞬时坝体冲刷率,进而分析泄流槽对溃决全过程的影响,从而自动获取最优的泄流槽设计方案。将此方法应用于唐家山堰塞坝案例发现:唐家山堰塞坝泄流槽最优设计时溃坝洪峰流量为1700m3·s-1,小于实际峰值流量6500m3·s-1,主要是因为增大泄流槽的纵坡率,显著增强溃坝前的冲刷并形成双洪峰,从而有效降低了溃决峰值流量。由于复合槽相对较小的水力半径限制了溃坝前的冲刷,使得临溃时水位较高,因此溃坝峰值流量比单槽大,溃坝风险降低效果不如单槽。     

无粘性土堤漫顶溃决水流运动试验研究

堤防溃决时溃口附近水流形态及溃决流量变化过程的正确描述是指导溃口堵复及时避险、预测溃堤洪水演进并进一步评估淹没损失的前提条件.通过弯道水槽中的概化模型试验,根据无粘性土堤防漫顶溃决的溃口变化和水流运动特征,将无粘性土堤防溃决过程分为漫流、冲槽、展宽及稳定4个阶段.试验系统研究了堤防溃决后河道以及溃口附近水位的变化过程,研究了河道洪水流量、洪水位和筑堤材料对溃口处水位的影响.基于大量的试验资料,进一步归纳总结出溃决流量与溃口口门宽度及溃口处水头变化之间的关系.     

Out-burst flood (lahar) triggered by retrogressive landsliding, 18 March 2007 at Mt Ruapehu,New Zealand—a successful early warning

The summit crater of Mt Ruapehu volcano normally hosts a 15.4-ha warm lake, whose water has been repeatedly wholly or partly ejected by explosive and extrusive eruptions. Some of the larger eruptions have modified the lake outlet by burying it under unconsolidated tephra (volcanic ash and blocks), creating a dam-break flood hazard independently of the occurrence of an eruption. Eruptions in 1995 and 1996 followed this sequence; a break-out flood was anticipated and a warning system was installed to mitigate the risk from this event and subsequent lahars in the same catchment. The 11-year filling time allowed much planning and rehearsal. The warning system involved manual inspections of dam integrity, and seepage and lake-level monitoring to constrain the likely failure window, and telemetered instruments including a tripwire and geophones to detect breaching of the dam and propagation of the outbreak flood. The dam-collapse sequence, captured by a time-lapse camera, involved a series of retrogressing landslides initiated and accelerated by seepage forces and toe scour when the lake was 1.1 m below overtopping. The barrier failed in two phases on 18th March, 2007, beginning at 09:55 (NZST), with rapid retreat of one of the erosion scarps on the downstream slope of the eastern barrier, initiated by internal erosion. Headward retrogression of the scarp into the barrier formed an initial breach in the dam, after which increasing outflow led to erosion and undercutting of the wider downstream toe of the western barrier. A final, larger dam breach occurred between 11:21 and 11:22 as slope instability caused retrogressive failure of the remaining barrier. Five-hundred meters downstream of the dam, a large landslide was reactivated by toe scour during the flood, contributing about a million cubic meters of solid material to the volumetric bulking of the outflow, which reached the coast, 215 km away, 17 h later. The success of the planning and warning system allowed the whole event to occur with little damage to infrastructure and without causing injury.