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Numerical SPH analysis of debris flow run-out and related river damming scenarios for a local case study in SW China

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Abstract

A smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) numerical modeling method implemented for the forward simulation of propagation and deposition of flow-type landslides was combined with different empirical geomorphological index approaches for the assessment of the formation of landslide dams and their possible evolution for a local case study in southwestern China. The SPH model was calibrated with a previously occurred landslide that formed a stable dam impounding the main river, and it enabled the simulation of final landslide volumes, and the spatial distribution of the resulting landslide deposits. At four different sites on the endangered slope, landslides of three different volumes were simulated, respectively. All landslides deposited in the main river, bearing the potential for either stable impoundment of the river and upstream flooding scenarios, or sudden breach of incompletely formed or unstable landslide dams and possible outburst floods downstream. With the empirical indices, none of the cases could be identified as stable formed landslide dam when considering thresholds reported in the literature, showing up the limitations of these indices for particular case studies of small or intermediate landslide volumes and the necessity to adapt thresholds accordingly for particular regions or sites. Using the occurred benchmark landslide as a reference, two cases could be identified where a complete blockage occurs that is more stable than the reference case. The other cases where a complete blockage was simulated can be considered as potential dam-breach scenarios.

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Abbreviations

BI:

Blockage index

DBI:

Dimensionless blockage index

DEM:

Digital elevation model

DTM:

Digital terrain model

IR:

Relief index

MOI:

Morphological obstruction index

HDSI:

Hydrodynamic dam stability index

SPH:

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41402285 and Grant No. 41650110487) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative (Grant No. 2016PZ032). Prof. Manuel Pastor (Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain) and co-workers are much acknowledged for having provided the “GeoFlow_SPH” code used for the numerical simulations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19 Beitucheng Western Road, Beijing, 100029, China

    Anika Braun, Xueliang Wang & Luqing Zhang

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Italy

    Sabatino Cuomo & Stefano Petrosino

Authors
  1. Anika Braun
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  2. Sabatino Cuomo
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  3. Stefano Petrosino
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  4. Xueliang Wang
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  5. Luqing Zhang
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Correspondence to Anika Braun or Sabatino Cuomo.

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Braun, A., Cuomo, S., Petrosino, S. et al. Numerical SPH analysis of debris flow run-out and related river damming scenarios for a local case study in SW China. Landslides 15, 535–550 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-017-0885-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-017-0885-9

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