Experimental study on the pressure of impulse waves generated by landslides on a bank slope

Abstract

Impulse waves generated by landslides lead to serious secondary disasters. To investigate the effects of impulse waves on a bank slope, a three-dimensional physical model test was conducted considering multiple factors, such as the width, thickness, and volume of the landslide body, inclination angle of the landslide, and bank slope angle. The results show that the wave did not break upon the first crest. And the waves break and swirl locally when fallback water flowed into the trough. The pressure acting upon the bank slope included pulsating pressure and impact pressure, of which the latter was largely affected by repeated tests, measuring frequencies, and measurement point densities. The existing empirical formulas cannot accurately reflect the wave pressure on the bank slope under the action of landslide-generated impulse waves. The maximum pulsating pressure increased proportionally with width, thickness, volume and inclination angle of the landslide body. This study better restores the interaction process between landslide, impulse waves and bank slope in actual river channels, and provides relevant support for the formulation of water pressure prediction formulas.