Development of a Hydrograph Triggered by Earth-Dam-Break for Compiling a Flood Hazard Map

In compiling flood hazard maps for the case of dam-failure, a scenario-based numerical modeling approach is commonly used, involving the modeling of important parameters that capture peak discharge, such as breach formation and progress. In this study, an earth-dam-break model is constructed assuming an identical mechanism and hydraulic process for all dam-break processes. A focus of the analysis is estimation of the hydrograph at the outlet as a function of time. The constructed hydrograph then serves as an upper boundary condition in running the flood routing model downstream, although flood routing is not considered here. Validation was performed using the record of the Tangjishan dam-break in China. The results were satisfactory, with a coefficient of determination of 0.974, Nash-Sutcliffe Coefficient of Efficiency (NSC) of 0.94, and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of . The proposed model will contribute to assessments of potential flood hazards caused by dam-break.