Experimental investigation of landslide-induced impulse waves for various slide densities


Mohajer Barough R., Karayama E. T., DEMİREL E., AYDIN İ.

Environmental Fluid Mechanics, cilt.25, sa.4, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 25 Sayı: 4
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s10652-025-10043-3
  • Dergi Adı: Environmental Fluid Mechanics
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Environment Index, Geobase, INSPEC, Pollution Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Dam overtopping, Dam safety, Impulse waves, Landslide, Slide density
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Dam reservoirs are manmade lakes that may be subjected to extreme hydrodynamic forces and water waves generated by landslides, earthquakes, or both simultaneously when an earthquake triggers a landslide. There are examples of dam failures after a landslide that causes water to overtop the dam body. Slide material may have different forms from granular soil to rock with different physical properties. Slide density is one of the slide properties that has attracted relatively little attention from scholars. This study experimentally investigates the influence of slide density on the generation of impulse waves by subaerial landslide in a rectangular reservoir having dimensions of 13 m × 6 m with a ramp on the side wall to facilitate rigid blocks sliding into the water. Of the 111 experiments conducted, 75 were dedicated to analyzing the effects of slide density on wave generation, propagation, and water volume overtopping the spill wall considering variations in impact velocity as a function of runout distances and still water depths. The remaining 36 experiments focused on evaluating the impact of slide density on dam freeboard to avoid overtopping. Based on this extensive data set, a power-law relationship was established between the impact velocity and the runout distance. Subsequently, an empirical equation was obtained to predict wave height according to the slide Froude number, relative slide density, relative wave propagation distance, and spatial wave propagation angle. Results demonstrate that larger runout distances lead to increased impact velocities which resulted in higher wave heights. Variations in slide density have a minimal effect on impact velocity. However, increased density affects the slide momentum and energy resulting in generation of larger wave heights. Furthermore, slide density played a significant role in determining the necessary freeboard to prevent dam overtopping. These experiments were conducted to obtain a reliable and wide range of data sets for the validation of a subsequent numerical study.