Variation of uplift pressure of debris flow on the dam bottom

Abstract: Uplift pressure is crucial for the stability of debris flow dam because of its reducing the effective pressure on the dam foundation and the anti-slide force of the dam. This study investigates the spatial and temporal variations of the uplift pressures during the debris flow impact processes, through a series of flume experiments. Before the debris flow impacting on the dam, the uplift pressure keeps stable due to the steady water level, and then it decreases slightly at the instant of debris flow impacting on the dam which lasts for no more than 1 s, and then increases sharply within a time lag no more than 2 s, and then decreases sharply soon afterwards. The maximal increasing ratio is 6.4 and the average value is 3, comparing with the uplift pressure before the impacting. The peak pressure occurs before the dam and decreases with the distance from the dam with a nearly linear tendency. The increment of uplift pressure also presents a similar tendency with the distance from the dam. In addition, the uplift pressure is found to be strongly influenced by the permeability of debris flow deposits, especially by the fine content of grain composition, and by the properties of the flow, such as the flow density, runoff volume and hydraulic gradient, and the pressure rises in a nearly linear form with the properties.

Keywords: debris flow, uplift pressure, check dam, flume experiments