Characteristics of impulse waves generated by three-dimensional rock-mass landslides in open channel flow
TIAN Ye1, 2, WANG Pingyi2*, YU Tao2, REN Qingyang1, WANG Meili2, 3, HAN Linfeng2
(1. School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China; 2. National Engineering Technology Research Center for Inland Waterway Regulation, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China;
3. School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China)
Abstract：The generation and propagation of landslide-induced impulse waves are strongly influenced by ambient river flow. A three-dimensional physical model of fragmented, jointed rock debris landslides under hydrodynamic conditions was constructed using typical geometries and fracture patterns from the Three Gorges Reservoir area. Changes in waveform and wave-field characteristics were examined for current Froude number from 0 to 0.23. Water-entry behavior was controlled by slide shape and dip angle. Two modes were identified: bulk-sliding mode and two-stage-toppling-sliding mode. The two-stage-toppling-sliding mode produced a secondary major crest and a multi-peaked spectrum. Under a shear current, nonlinear deformation increased with increasing Fr. For waves propagating upstream, crests were strongly amplified, troughs became shallower and flatter, crest duration was lengthened, trough duration was shortened, and the waveform approached a solitary-wave-like form. For waves propagating downstream, crest duration was shortened, trough duration was lengthened, crest height increased slightly, troughs deepened markedly, and crest-trough asymmetry was enhanced. The shear current transformed the wave field from a symmetric near-circular pattern to a downstream shifted asymmetric ellipse. A wave-field deformation coefficient was introduced to quantify this transformation. Attenuation models for co-flowing and counter-flowing waves were developed to delineate upstream and downstream hazard extents. The findings provide guidance for predicting wave propagation and hazard zones in reservoir backwater reaches.
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2026, Vol. 45 
