Author(s): E. Dupont; B. J. Dewals; P. Archambeau; S. Erpicum; M. Pirotton
Linked Author(s): Sébastien Erpicum, Benjamin J. Dewals
Keywords: Dam breaching; Embankment dam; Model; Experimental study
Abstract: In the framework of the study of the collapse of an embankment dam following its overtopping, an experimental study of the progressive breaching of such a dam has been performed. The present laboratory tests enable to validate and to complete a numerical approach previously studied by the authors. The two-dimensional analysis of the breaching is carried out on a scale model in a flume. A cross-section of a dam is scaled according to proper similarity rules, both for the flow and for the solid transport. The originality of the approach lies in the interaction between the experimental and numerical work. The experiments on the scale model are filmed in order to determine the time evolution of the dam profiles. The cross sections are extracted from the films and analyzed by an image-processing algorithm specifically developed for this application. These results are integrated into the hydrodynamic model WOLF2D, which computes the flow generated by the given transient topography and eventually supplies the relevant hydraulic parameters characterizing the dam breaching.
Year: 2007