Experimental Study on the Mechanism of Overtopping Failure and Breach Development in Homogeneous Earth Dams

The present study examines the mechanisms of overtopping failure and the evolution laws of homogeneous earth embankments during the flood season. To this end, the Changkai embankment in Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province, was selected as a case study, with seven groups of indoor model tests conducted to consider the effects of different embankment top widths, embankment heights, river water depths, and river flow rates. The test results are as follows: Overtopping failure of earth embankments can be categorised into three distinct stages. The breach formation process can be categorised into three stages: vertical erosion (stage I), breach expansion (stage II) and breach stabilisation (stage III). River water levels and inflow rates were identified as pivotal factors influencing the final morphology of the breach and the flow velocity within it. Conversely, the height of the dike was found to have little influence on the shape of the breach and the flow velocity. The breach width ranges from 6 cm to 12 cm. An increase in water depth, corresponding to a greater difference in water levels on both sides of the river, has been observed to result in a deeper breach and faster widening rate. Elevated water levels have been shown to increase the potential energy of the water, which is subsequently converted into greater kinetic energy during breach formation. This, in turn, increases the flow velocity at the breach. However, a negative correlation has been observed between inflow velocity and flow at the breach. This paper combines the material properties of the embankment to discuss the overtopping failure mechanism and the breach evolution law of homogeneous earth embankments. This provides a basis for preventing and controlling embankment failure disasters.