Modelling dam breach

Breaching of embankments, whether they are small levees or large dams, is not a simple process. To achieve realistic results, a breach model needs to consider the erodibility of the embankment material as well as the height of the embankment and the volume of water that may be released in a breach situation. 

Lesser, more simplistic methods are also available – use our free Guide to Breach Prediction to decide what is appropriate to your use case, and for advice on what the best type of equation or model to use.

We are writing a paper on our next generation breach model to present at the ICOLD conference this autumn. Our team will explain how we are using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to further improve modelling accuracy, helping avoid potentially catastrophic impacts on people, properties and the environment when dams and flood embankments fail.