A physical similarity model of an impulsive wave generated by Gongjiafang landslide in Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Landslide-related impulse waves are catastrophic but accidental, so limited data on field measurements are available; scaled physical experiment is therefore a functional method to simulate and analyze this phenomenon. A large-scale physical Froude-similar model to produce impulse waves was constructed based on the Chinese Gongjiafang landslide, which occurred on the main stream of Three Gorges after the impounding in the reservoir in China. With a scale of 1:200, the model had the dimensions of 24, 8, and 1.3 m. Four water levels, 145, 156, 172.8, and 175 m, were modeled for the experiments, and marble coarse sands were used to imitate the actual cataclastic rock mass. Wave height gauges, high-speed cameras, and run-up measuring instruments were used to monitor wave fluctuations in the model. Among the experiments, the ones modeled using a water level of 172.8 m best confirmed the actual conditions in the Gongjiafang landslide, representing a good validation of the experiments. This study obtained, for the first time, specific data on the reproduced impulse waves’ convergence and superposition during propagation, and of the energy change between impulse waves and reflected waves. The test data describe a rapid decaying and gradual decaying rule for the wave heights and run-ups. The Froude-similar experiments presented in this article help us to understand the whole procedure of impulsive wave generated by cataclastic rock mass failure, and the results acquired contribute to studies of impulse waves caused by similar bank destabilizations worldwide.