Numerical Analysis of the Overtopping Failure of the Tailings Dam Model Based on Inception Similarity Optimization

Abstract

The analysis of overtopping dam break caused by extreme rainstorms and other special circumstances is very important in the feasibility analysis of new construction or expansion projects of tailings reservoirs. Reduced-scale physical model tests can directly reflect the topography and dam-break influence range, but the reasonable selection of model dam material is the key to ensure the model’s similarity. Based on the similarity optimization of the limit state of scour inception of sediment particles, a new method for the model material of tailings dams can be proposed, but it needs to be verified by a similar overtopping model test. In this paper, the modeling and numerical calculation analysis of a prototype tailings dam and a similar reduced-scale model are carried out by using FLOW-3D v11.2 numerical software. The calculation results show that the model test scheme optimized by inception similarity can well reproduce the overtopping failure process of the prototype dam.