Author(s): Matthew C. Halso; Robert M. Boes; David F. Vetsch
Linked Author(s): David Vetsch, Robert Boes
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The breaching of embankment dams has led to some of the most catastrophic flooding events the world has ever seen. The 2023 breaching of the Bu Mansour Dam in Libya, for example, resulted in casualties exceeding 10,000, and the destruction of a large portion of the city of Derna. The risk posed by the potential for dam failure is undeniable; however, the consequences of failure for thousands of dams worldwide are unknown. To evaluate failure consequences, an estimate of the breach outflow hydrograph is necessary. Breach outflow hydrographs can be estimated for embankment dams using various methods, such as based on the software framework BASEbreach, which hosts multiple parametric numerical models for simulation of embankment dam failure (Vetsch et al., 2023). Most parametric numerical models simulate a progressive erosion process that is applicable to homogeneous embankment dams. However, this erosion process is not realistic for zoned embankment dams that contain a cohesive core zone. For zoned embankment dams, which make up a significant percentage of large dams worldwide, numerous failure mechanisms are possible. One such failure mechanism is a two-stage process of cracking due to bending followed by cantilever rotation. This failure process was identified in experiments by Halso et al. (2025). A parametric numerical model has been developed specifically for zoned embankment dams, that assesses dam stability against this two-stage process (Halso et al., 2024).
Year: 2026