Experimental study of debris flow caused by domino failures of landslide dams

Abstract

The formation of landslide dams is often induced by earthquakes in mountainous areas. The failure of a landslide dam typically results in catastrophic flash floods or debris flows downstream. Significant attention has been given to the processes and mechanisms involved in the failure of individual landslide dams. However, the processes leading to domino failures of multiple landslide dams remain unclear. In this study, experimental tests were carried out to investigate the domino failure of landslide dams and the consequent enlargement of downstream debris flows. Different blockage conditions were considered, including complete blockage, partial blockage and erodible bed (no blockage). The mean velocity of the flow front was estimated by videos. Total stress transducers (TSTs) and Laser range finders (LRFs) were employed to measure the total stress and the depth of the flow front, respectively. Under a complete blockage pattern, a portion of the debris flow was trapped in front of each retained landslide dam before the latter collapsed completely. This was accompanied by a dramatic decrease in the mean velocity of the flow front. Conversely, under both partial blockage and erodible bed conditions, the mean velocity of the flow front increased gradually downward along the sloping channel. Domino failures of the landslide dams were triggered when a series of dams (complete blockage and partial blockage) were distributed along the flume. However, not all of these domino failures led to enlarged debris flows. The modes of dam failures have significant impacts on the enlargement of debris flows. Therefore, further research is necessary to understand the mechanisms of domino failures of landslide dams and their effects on the enlargement of debris flows.