Dam Failure Research Articles

Gestão de Espaço de Fala e Análise das Condições de Produção de Versões sobre um Crime Corporativo: O Caso do Rompimento da Barragem B1 da Vale S/A em Brumadinho (MG)

Abstract This paper analyzes how the construction occurred of the conditions for the production of versions of the corporate crime related to the Vale S/A dam failure in Brumadinho (MG) based on an analysis of the final report of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry of the Chamber of Deputies (CPI Bruma). This study provides a specific contribution by presenting corporate crime as a crime legitimized by management, in which the dynamic of organizations operated under its logic influences the criminal practices as it exerts pressure for economic results at any cost. Thus, our study aimed to analyze how the construction occurred of the conditions for the production of versions regarding the corporate crime and the discursive dynamic around the corporate crime of Vale S/A in Brumadinho (MG), in the CPI Bruma. Methodologically, we sought to use documental research in the investigative process and the final report of the CPI Bruma, created specifically to investigate the failure of the B1 dam at the Córrego do Feijão mine, applying discourse analysis from a habermasian perspective, seeking to demonstrate that communicate practices may be intentionally distorted to favor one group to the detriment of another. With this, we analyzed the management of the space for speech in the CPI, through the habermasian lens, the multiple discourses, under the premises of the validity intentions of the act of speech, and its communicative distortions. We provide indications from the CPI Bruma report that suggest that the failure of the B1 dam at the Córrego do Feijão mine was not an accident, but occurred because of the negligence of Vale S/A, which, in pursuing financial success, chose to prioritize economic results and ignore the imminent danger of failure.

Water Resources and Water Services Infrastructure and Its Vulnerability to Extreme Events—The Case of Jordan

This study discussed the water sector as a critical infrastructural element in Jordan where the sector is exposed to the extreme events. The exposure of the country to extreme events has initiated this study. Such events are Pollution accidents, flooding, draughts, overexploitation, failure in electricity supply, climate changes, earthquakes, landslides, failure of dams, failure of wastewater treatment plants, failure of desalination plants, sabotage, fire, water theft, migration and demographic changes (immigration and urban migration), relations to neighboring countries, epidemics, and others. These extreme events are discussed in this article and the results show that failures in the water infrastructure and water supply, in Jordan, with its water sector situation have rigorous percussions on the country’s health, food supply, economy, societal stability, the built environment, and on other water-related issues. The study concludes that developing national programs to protect the water infrastructure in the water-fragile country has become very crucial to reach a robust and resilient water sector which not only means providing the inhabitants with quantitatively sufficient and qualitatively healthy water but also aims to incorporate guaranteeing social, economic and political stability.

The linear programming model for predicting the level of labour employment after dam failure by using dummy variable technique

The linear programming model for predicting the level of labour employment after dam failure by using dummy variable technique

Building pathologies caused by failure of Fundão Tailing Dam: A principal component analysis aproach.

This article presents a study of the impacts caused by Fundão dam failure in buildings from Gesteira district, Barra Longa city, Brazil. The analyzed dataset was built using technical reports from surveys carried out in 152 buildings. Principal component analysis was capable of explain the interdependence of data variable and allowed conditions of understand the consequences and evidenced pathologies. Heavy vehicle traffic caused more damage (57% of buildings) to the studied buildings than the contact with the tailing mud (43% of buildings).

Monitoring river turbidity after a mine tailing dam failure using an empirical model derived from Sentinel-2 imagery.

Sudden failure of a mine tailing dam occurred in the municipality of Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on January 25, 2019. Approximately 12 million cubic meters of mine tailings discharged into the Paraopeba River, producing strong environmental and societal impacts, mainly due to a massive increase in turbidity (occasionally exceeding 50,000 Nephelometric Turbidity Units [NTU] (CPRM 2019). Remote sensing is a well-established tool for quantifying spatial patterns of turbidity. However, a few empirical models have been developed to map turbidity in rivers impacted by mine tailings. Thus, this study aimed to develop an empirical model capable of producing turbidity estimates based on images from the Sentinel-2 satellite, using the Paraopeba River as the study area. We found that river turbidity was most strongly correlated with the sensor's near-infrared band (NIR) (band 8). Thus, we built an empirical single-band model using an exponential function with an (R2 of 0.91) to characterize the spatial-temporal variation of turbidity based on satellite observations of NIR reflectance. Although the role of discharged tailings in the seasonal variation of turbidity is not well understood, the proposed model enabled the monitoring of turbidity variations in the Paraopeba River associated with seasonal resuspension or deposition of mine tailings. Our study shows the capability of single-band models to quantify seasonal variations in turbidity in rivers impacted by mine tailing pollution.

Pore pressure response during tube sampling in gold tailings

Capturing the in-situ state of mine tailings is important in determining its behaviour under loading for evaluating the risk of failure of tailings dams. Obtaining a high-quality undisturbed sample through tube sampling is thus of great value to the responsible engineer. However, the sampling process itself disturbs the soil and changes its state. Since soil behaviour is driven by effective stress, one method to evaluate the disturbance induced during tube sampling is to monitor the soil’s positive and negative pore water pressure response during the process. A laboratory study was conducted where tailings samples were prepared at a controlled void ratio and subsequently saturated with water. Tube samplers of different diameters were driven into the material and extracted by means of an electric actuator during which internal sample pore pressures were monitored using tensiometers. The material experienced significant instantaneous contractive and dilative tendencies during insertion. Instantaneous negative responses during extraction of the tube samplers were also measured. It was found that the largest tube sampler (100mm diameter) performed best in the study.

Finite difference lattice Boltzmann method for modeling dam break debris flows

A finite difference lattice Boltzmann method (FDLBM) for the simulation of mud and debris flows for one-dimensional cases has been introduced. The proposed FDLBM recovers the generalized equations of mud and debris flows, that is, an unsteady one-dimensional Saint-Venant equation, including the effects of the non-Newtonian behavior of the mixture of water and soil, contraction–expansion losses (or large eddy loss), wind force, various geometries, and lateral inflow or outflow. The proposed FDLBM can be implemented for various non-Newtonian viscoplastic constitutive models of the studied mud and debris flows. The method is validated against previous studies for several benchmark cases, including steady-state problems, hydraulic jump tests, dam breaks with dry and wet beds, and slope dam break floods. Finally, the Anhui debris dam failure flood was investigated by this approach, and the results demonstrated a good agreement with the observed computational and field tests.

Metal exposure in a child population after a mine tailings dam failure. Projeto Bruminha

This study aimed to analyze the urinary concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Hg, and Mn in children living in areas directly affected by the tailings of the Brumadinho disaster. We performed a cross-sectional descriptive study on a population of 217 children aged 0 to 6 years, living in Córrego do Feijão (CF), Parque da Cachoeira (PC), Aranha (AR), and Tejuco (TJ), enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Child Health in Brumadinho (Minas Gerais) - Projeto Bruminha. Socioeconomic data and urine samples were collected to determine the concentration of selected metals. Children living in locations not directly affected by the disaster (AR and TJ) had higher concentrations of As and Mn than those in directly affected areas (CF and PC). Additionally, children living in locations not potentially exposed to dust from tailings mud or mining activity (AR) showed higher urinary As concentrations than those potentially exposed (CF, PC, and TJ). Our results suggest the need to investigate possible sources of As exposure in children living in areas not directly affected by the disaster and not potentially exposed to dust.

Mortality patterns in municipalities of a mining region before the Brumadinho dam failure, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

RESUMO: Objetivo: Descrever os padrões de mortalidade geral e por causas externas e a evolução temporal nos municípios da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraopeba previamente ao desastre socioambiental de Brumadinho e, adicionalmente, investigar a correlação entre a mortalidade e a privação socioeconômica nesses municípios. Métodos: Foram analisadas estimativas de mortalidade do Estudo Carga Global de Doenças referentes a 26 municípios de Minas Gerais. Calcularam-se taxas de mortalidade geral e por causas externas nos triênios (T) T1 (2000 a 2002), T2 (2009 a 2011) e T3 (2016 a 2018). O coeficiente de correlação de Pearson mediu associação entre as taxas de mortalidade e a privação socioeconômica, segundo Índice Brasileiro de Privação. Resultados: Houve declínio da mortalidade geral na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraopeba de 717,7/100.000 para 572,6/100.000 hab. e na maioria dos municípios entre T1-T3. A mortalidade por causas externas aumentou de 73,3/100.000 para 82,1/100.000 e foi mais elevada nesses municípios comparando-se com a média do Brasil e de Minas Gerais. As mortes por suicídio e violência interpessoal aumentaram de 29,6/100.000 para 43,2/100.000 na maioria dos 26 municípios. Os acidentes não intencionais reduziram-se no período, e as taxas por acidente de transporte aumentaram. Houve correlação positiva entre a privação socioeconômica e a variação percentual das taxas de mortalidade. Conclusão: Apesar da forte presença da atividade mineradora na região, isso não refletiu na melhoria do quadro sanitário, as causas externas aumentaram no período, associadas às desigualdades, o que deve ser considerado no planejamento para a recuperação das áreas do desastre.

Management of a Space for Speech and Analysis of the Conditions for the Production of Versions regarding a Corporate Crime: the Case of the Vale S/A B1 Dam Failure in Brumadinho (MG)

Resumo O presente trabalho analisa como foram construídas as condições de produção de versões do crime corporativo relacionado ao rompimento da barragem da Vale S/A em Brumadinho (MG) a partir da análise do relatório final da Comissão Parlamentar de Inquérito da Câmara dos Deputados (CPI Bruma). Este estudo traz uma particular contribuição ao apresentar o crime corporativo como o crime legitimado pelo management , no qual a dinâmica das organizações operadas sob sua lógica influencia as práticas criminosas à medida que pressiona por resultados econômicos a qualquer custo. Assim, nosso estudo teve por objetivo analisar como se construíram as condições de produção de versões sobre o crime corporativo, a dinâmica discursiva em torno do crime corporativo da Vale S/A em Brumadinho (MG), na CPI Bruma. Metodologicamente, buscamos nos orientar pela pesquisa documental no processo investigativo e pelo relatório final da CPI Bruma, criada especificamente para investigar o rompimento da barragem B1 da Mina Córrego do Feijão, aplicando uma análise de discurso de perspectiva habermasiana, visando demonstrar que as práticas comunicativas podem ser distorcidas intencionalmente em benefício de um grupo e em detrimento de outro. Com isso, analisamos a gestão do espaço de fala na CPI, sob o prisma habermasiano, os múltiplos discursos, sob as premissas das pretensões de validez do ato de fala, e suas distorções comunicativas. Apontamos indícios do Relatório da CPI Bruma que sugerem que o rompimento da Barragem B1 da Mina Córrego do Feijão não foi um acidente, mas ocorreu por conta da negligência da Vale S/A, que, visando ao seu êxito financeiro, optou por priorizar os resultados econômicos e ignorar o perigo iminente do rompimento.

Anthropogenic gravitational mass movements and the fluvial geomorphological changes: The Vale (2019) and Samarco (2015) tailing dam disasters, Brazil

Major tailings dam failures have caused death, pain, and disruption to a community’s activities. These dam ruptures mobilize millions of tonnes of tailings, which move with gravity and can therefore be called anthropogenic mass movements. A survey of the typology of the damage caused is a necessity to assess the damage caused, especially to riverside populations. This work describes the mass movements in the 2015 Samarco/Mariana and 2019 Vale/Brumadinho tailing dam disasters. Mass movements have been described as avalanches, high and low-energy debris flows, and mud flows. The regions where the tailings dispersion was active were also verified, where it caused substantial changes in the landscape. On the other hand, it has been verified in areas where this dispersion was passive, carried out only within the fluvial dynamics. The Vale/Brumadinho disaster, which resulted in 270 deaths, was of tremendous energy and destructive power, while the Samarco/Mariana disaster, which resulted in 19 deaths, was catastrophic over thousands of kilometers. A careful evaluation of these modifications is a first step toward mitigating the affected territories and bringing social justice to the affected populations.

Mortality patterns in municipalities of a mining region before the Brumadinho dam failure, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

To describe the patterns of overall mortality and mortality from external causes and the temporal evolution in the municipalities of the Paraopeba River Basin, before the socio-environmental disaster of the Brumadinho dam and, additionally, to investigate the correlation between mortality and socioeconomic deprivation in these municipalities. Global Burden of Disease Study mortality estimates for 26 municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were analyzed. Rates of overall mortality and mortality from external causes were estimated in the triennia (T) T1 (2000 to 2002), T2 (2009 to 2011), and T3 (2016 to 2018). Pearson's correlation coefficient measured the association between mortality rates and socioeconomic deprivation, according to the Brazilian Deprivation Index (IBP). There was a decrease in overall mortality in the Paraopeba River Basin from 717.7/100 thousand to 572.6/100 thousand inhabitants, and in most municipalities between T1-T3. Mortality from external causes increased from 73.3/100 thousand to 82.1/100 thousand, and it was higher in these municipalities compared with the mean for Brazil and Minas Gerais. Deaths from suicide and interpersonal violence increased from 29.6/100 thousand to 43.2/100 thousand in most of the 26 municipalities. Death rates due to unintentional injuries decreased during the period, and those due to transport injuries, increased. There was a positive correlation between socioeconomic deprivation and the percent change in mortality rates. Despite the strong presence of mining activity in the region, such did not reflect in the improvement of the sanitary situation. Death rates due to external causes increased in the period, associated with inequalities, which must be considered in the planning for the recovery of the disaster areas.

Digital image-based analysis of a small-scale dam failure during wetting

The use of digital images and the correlation of them in time is commonly used in geotechnical laboratory experiments to measure surface variables in a non-invasive and massive way. Digital image correlation-based methods provide a measure of the motion of soil. More recently, measurements of the degree of saturation on soil surface using digital images have also been developed, although its application and validation are still limited. This methodology is based on the fact that almost all soils become darker (less light reflective) due to wetting. This article uses image-based analysis techniques to evaluate the behaviour during wetting of a small-scale dam made of compacted fine sand. With the aim of validating the measurements from images, soil moisture sensors were installed in the dam. The tested soil was previously calibrated to determine the correlation of light reflectance and the degree of saturation covering from dry to fully saturated range. Measurements of velocity, displacements, deformations and the degree of saturation in time are evaluated during the experiment based on images recorded in the visual and shortwave infrared (SWIR) light range. The methodology is described step-by-step including camera and lighting system, sample preparation, image acquisition and image analysis. The techniques used allow the changes in the degree of saturation in soil in motion and the failure mechanisms associated with the wetting process to be observed. The results obtained through image analyses show good agreement with the parameters obtained in point measurements with conventional sensors. The results also show some limitations of the method, mainly associated with the accumulation of errors in the tracking of soil particles during large displacements.

DAM BREACH ANALYSIS AND PARAMETER SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS ALONG A RIVER REACH USING HECRAS

A dam break is a low-probability, high risk catastrophe event that is extremely destructive and has a substantial negative socio-economic impact on downstream and nearby areas. Simulating dam breach and analyzing flood propagation downstream from those events is vital for identifying and minimizing the risks associated downstream of dam location. This study is intended to anlayse the effect of overtopping failure of dam for two scenario (a) base-case scenario (scenario with average value of dam breach parameters from their range) and (b) worst case scenario (the breach with largest geometry, shortest formation time and highest peak outflow magnitude). Further, a hydrodyanmic modelling is perfomed to investigate the sensitivity analysis (local and global) of five dam breach parameters (dam breach elevation, dam breach width, breach formation time, weir coefficient, trigger failure elevation) on breach outflow in a proposed hydropower project located in Nepal. Aeronautical Reconnaissance Coverage Geographic Information System (ArcGIS), Hydraulic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) and OriginPro 2022b are utilized to analyse the effect of dam breach and parameter sensitivity.
 Generation of outflow hydrograph shows that worst case scenario has devasting effect downstream with innudation of 1047 of househols and 50.83 kilometers of roads. The breach velocty was recorded as 15.16 m/s and 20.85 m/s for base and worst case respectively. The minimum depth and maximum depth of flooding downstream from dam location was found to be 24.51 m and 73.6 m for base case and 47.43 m and 106.75 m for worst case. Due to backwater effect at Bheri river, peak flow at 14 km downstream from dam reduces significantly to 124852.57 m3/s and 244204.41 m3/s for base and worst case respectively. From local sensitivty analysis it has been found that, dam breach elevation is more sensitive and triggering failure elevation is less sensitive for peak outflow hydrograph. Whereas, dam breach width seems more sensitive and TFE seems least sensitive for peak outflow using Monte Carlo Simulation for gloal sensitivity.

Study on the Evolution of a Flooded Tailings Pond and Its Post-Failure Effects

In order to avoid the risk of tailing pond failures and to minimize the post-failure losses, it is necessary to analyze the current operation status of tailings ponds, to explore the evolution law of their failure process, to grasp their post-failure impact range, and to propose corresponding effective prevention and control measures. Based on a tailings pond in China, this paper establishes a 1:200 scale indoor model to explore the evolution law of post-failure tailings discharge in a tailings pond under flooded roof conditions; secondly, the finite element difference method and smooth particle fluid dynamics are combined to compare and analyze the post-failure impact area and to delineate the risk prevention and control area. The results of the study show that, during the dam break, the lower tailing sand in the breach is the first to slip, and after forming a steep can, the upper tailing sand in the steep can is pulled to slip, so that the erosion trench mainly develops vertically first, and then laterally. The velocity of the discharged tailing sand will quickly reach its peak value in a short period of time and then decrease to the creeping stage; the front edge of the sand flow is the first to stop moving, and the trailing edge of the tailing sand accumulation depth continues to increase until the end of the dam failure, at which point the initial bottom dam area of the discharge tailing sand flow velocity is the largest. The further the tailings are released from the initial dam, the smaller the accumulation depth and the larger the particle size, and the larger the elevation of the foundation in the same section, the smaller the accumulation depth and the larger the particle size; further, the presence of blocking materials will increase the local tailings accumulation depth. Based on the maximum flow velocity of the discharged tailings and the accumulation depth, the risk area downstream of the tailings pond is divided, so that relocation measures can be formulated. The test results can provide an important reference for the operation and management of similar tailings ponds.

Effects of the Gully Land Consolidation Project on Geohazards on a Typical Watershed on the Loess Plateau of China

From 2011 to 2013, a mega project, known as the Gully Land Consolidation Project (GLCP), was implemented in the hilly gully region atop China’s Loess Plateau. However, the GLCP involved large-scale slope excavation and gully backfilling that changed the local geological environment, which led to serious geohazards, such as erosion, soil salinization, and dam failure. In this study, various geohazards caused by the GLCP in the Gutun watershed (GTW) were investigated by combined remote sensing analysis, geophysical exploration, and field surveys, and the relationships between the hazards were also explored. According to the achieved results, increased soil erosion with an average doubling from 2018 to 2020 is widely distributed in the GTW. Furthermore, 195 areas containing clear evidence of salt precipitates were observed in some of the newly created arable lands, especially downstream of the dam. This was mainly attributed to the high water table, evaporation, and soluble salt concentration of the loess. Fifty-nine newly built silt dams, primarily located in the branch channels and at the gully mouth of the Gutun channel, broke in 2020. The osmotic damage and softening caused by the combined effect of the incomplete compaction of the dam body and concentrated heavy rainfall were the main reasons of the dam breaks. The different types of disasters in the GTW after the implementation of the GLCP show a strong spatial relationship that follows the surface water flow path and forms a disaster chain consisting of slope erosion, silt dam breaks, and the soil salinization of near-dam farmlands downstream. This disaster chain amplifies disaster risks and losses. These findings can guide the improvement of the GLCP and inform geohazard mitigation strategies in areas impacted by the GLCP.

Role of indigenous microorganisms and organics in the release of iron and trace elements from sediments impacted by iron mine tailings from failed Fundão dam

After Fundão Dam failure in 2015, most of Gualaxo do Norte River in Doce River Basin in Brazil became silted by iron mining tailings consisting mainly of fine-grained quartz, hematite, and goethite. Previous work pointed to the possibility of reductive dissolution of iron and manganese from tailings, leading to mobilization of iron, manganese and trace elements. Several microorganisms were shown to reduce Fe(III) to Fe(II) and Mn(III, IV) to Mn(II) “in vitro”, but their roles in mobilization of Fe and trace elements from freshwater sediments are poorly understood. In this work, bottom sediments and water collected in Gualaxo do Norte River were used to build anoxic microcosms amended with acetate, glucose or yeast extract, in order to access if heterotrophic microorganisms, either fermenters or dissimilatory Fe reducers, could reduce Fe(III) from minerals in the sediments to soluble Fe(II), releasing trace elements. The Fe(II) concentrations were measured over time, and trace elements concentrations were evaluated at the end of the experiment. In addition, minerals and biopolymers in bottom sediments were quantified. Results showed that organic substrates, notably glucose, fuelled microbial reduction of iron minerals and release of Fe(II), Mn, Ba, Al and/or Zn from sediments. In general, higher concentrations of organic substrates elicited mobilization of larger amounts of Fe(II) and trace elements from sediments. The results point to the possibility of mobilization of huge amounts of iron and trace elements from sediments to water if excess biodegradable organic matter is released in rivers affected by iron mine tailings.

Stress Estimation of Concrete Dams in Service Based on Deformation Data Using SIE–APSO–CNN–LSTM

The stress behavior of key parts of concrete dams is related to the safe operation of the dam. However, the stress sensors in concrete are susceptible to aging and failure with increasing service life. Estimating the structural stress under sensor failure or data loss scenarios for concrete dams in service is essential and complex. This study presents a stress estimation method driven by the observation data. Firstly, a one-to-one correspondence exists between dam deformation reflecting the load effect and structural stress. Estimating the structural stress by simulating load effects with dam deformation is more convenient when it is hard to simulate complex load effects directly. Therefore, based on the observed data before stress sensor failure, the spatial–temporal relationship between structure stress and multi-point deformations of a concrete dam is developed using convolutional neural networks (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM). An improved particle swarm optimization algorithm combined with swarm information entropy (SIE–APSO) is proposed simultaneously for tuning the network’s hyperparameter and accelerating the convergence. Finally, the stress estimation of the target part of the concrete dam in service is obtained. The case shows that it is valid and feasible. The RMSE decreased by approximately 21–58%, MAPE decreased by 19–58%, and ARV decreased by 22–94% compared with the load-stress relationship model.

Scientometric analysis on the review research evolution of tailings dam failure disasters.

As the most severe damage form of tailings ponds, dam failure causes a serious threat and damage to the surrounding lives and environment. Therefore, based on the systematic collection and consultation of relevant data at home and abroad, the literature source analysis on tailings dam failure disasters is conducted using the CiteSpace scientometric tool. The research on tailings dam failure disasters can be classified into two stages: the preliminary germination stage and rapid development stage. Based on the scientometric knowledge map, the research hotspots of tailings dam failure disasters are analyzed and summarized as three main research directions: environmental impact, risk assessment, and mechanical behavior. With the maturity of the research on ecological problems caused by tailings leakage, ecological restoration has also gradually become a hot research topic. Through the analysis of keyword bursts and co-cited bursts, the research frontier of tailings dam break disaster is explored. "Risk management," "real-time monitoring," and "tailings characteristic" represent the current research frontier. Among them, risk management is burst for the longest time and is expected to be a very important research direction in the future. Finally, a tailings pond risk management and control suggestion is proposed with risk management as the core, emphasizing risk monitor, and combined with dynamic risk control, which provides a foundation for the construction of tailings dam safety management and dynamic monitoring systems.

Load combination feedback of fracture in concrete dams based on monitoring data with simplified fuzzy association rules

The existed cracks are serious potential threats to the integrity and safety of concrete dams, and may even lead to dam failure and flood disaster. The fracture behavior in concrete dams is influenced by a kaleidoscope of load effects, which act in combination with a complicated relationship. A quantitative analysis method with improved association rule mining (ARM) based on monitored crack opening is proposed in this study. Fuzzy Set theory and Fuzzy C-Means method are introduced to establish the fuzzy ARM method for sequential monitoring data, and the traditional Apriori algorithm is simplified based on the single decision attribute. The feasibility and efficiency of the proposed method is validated by its application in Chencun gravity arch dam with a large structural fracture, and low temperature and low upstream water level are identified as the detrimental load combination for propagation of the fracture in this dam.