Innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth dams

Abstract Dam safety is critical for protecting downstream lives, property, ecosystems, and socio-economic stability. Investigating dam breach mechanisms and establishing safety warning thresholds hold significant scientific and practical value. This study conducted dam breach model tests under diver...

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Main Authors: Yunqian Xu, Tengfei Bao, Shu Zhang, Mingdao Yuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97057-5
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author Yunqian Xu
Tengfei Bao
Shu Zhang
Mingdao Yuan
author_facet Yunqian Xu
Tengfei Bao
Shu Zhang
Mingdao Yuan
author_sort Yunqian Xu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Dam safety is critical for protecting downstream lives, property, ecosystems, and socio-economic stability. Investigating dam breach mechanisms and establishing safety warning thresholds hold significant scientific and practical value. This study conducted dam breach model tests under diverse conditions and developed a monitoring and warning system using high-precision inclinometers to elucidate deformation characteristics and failure mechanisms. Experimental results revealed three distinct failure stages: tension cracking, localized soil flow/collapse, and catastrophic collapse/landsliding. Precursor phenomena such as seepage and cracking were observed prior to soil flow failure, suggesting that rapid infiltration line reduction during this phase could mitigate large-scale failures. Tilting deformation of the downstream slope was identified as a viable early warning indicator. An improved tangent angle method subdivided the rapid deformation stage into three substages (early, middle, and late) using thresholds of 45°, 80°, and 85°, respectively, to establish tiered warning criteria. Additionally, a reciprocal velocity method was proposed to predict breach timing by characterizing the relationship between the inverse rate of slope angle change and time, demonstrating effective breach time prediction.
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institution DOAJ
issn 2045-2322
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spelling doaj-art-e98da4ca12bf435c90c590cba310174d2025-08-20T03:14:05ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-97057-5Innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth damsYunqian Xu0Tengfei Bao1Shu Zhang2Mingdao Yuan3College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai UniversityCollege of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai UniversityGuangdong Research Institute of Water Resources and HydropowerGuangdong Research Institute of Water Resources and HydropowerAbstract Dam safety is critical for protecting downstream lives, property, ecosystems, and socio-economic stability. Investigating dam breach mechanisms and establishing safety warning thresholds hold significant scientific and practical value. This study conducted dam breach model tests under diverse conditions and developed a monitoring and warning system using high-precision inclinometers to elucidate deformation characteristics and failure mechanisms. Experimental results revealed three distinct failure stages: tension cracking, localized soil flow/collapse, and catastrophic collapse/landsliding. Precursor phenomena such as seepage and cracking were observed prior to soil flow failure, suggesting that rapid infiltration line reduction during this phase could mitigate large-scale failures. Tilting deformation of the downstream slope was identified as a viable early warning indicator. An improved tangent angle method subdivided the rapid deformation stage into three substages (early, middle, and late) using thresholds of 45°, 80°, and 85°, respectively, to establish tiered warning criteria. Additionally, a reciprocal velocity method was proposed to predict breach timing by characterizing the relationship between the inverse rate of slope angle change and time, demonstrating effective breach time prediction.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97057-5Earth damMechanism of dam collapseModel testingMEMS-IMUDam break prediction
spellingShingle Yunqian Xu
Tengfei Bao
Shu Zhang
Mingdao Yuan
Innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth dams
Scientific Reports
Earth dam
Mechanism of dam collapse
Model testing
MEMS-IMU
Dam break prediction
title Innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth dams
title_full Innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth dams
title_fullStr Innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth dams
title_full_unstemmed Innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth dams
title_short Innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth dams
title_sort innovative approach for experimental investigation and monitoring and warning of the evolutionary patterns of dam body failure in earth dams
topic Earth dam
Mechanism of dam collapse
Model testing
MEMS-IMU
Dam break prediction
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97057-5
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AT shuzhang innovativeapproachforexperimentalinvestigationandmonitoringandwarningoftheevolutionarypatternsofdambodyfailureinearthdams
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