Numerical Analysis of the Causes of Curved Soil Levee Breaches in Seasonal Freeze-Thaw Areas

The phenomenon that curved soil levees in seasonal freeze-thaw areas were repeatedly damaged after being repaired indicated that the failure mechanism of it has certain unique characteristics. To clarify this, a 3D fluid-solid coupling model was adopted to investigate the failure mechanism from the perspective of hydrodynamics and temperature. The results showed that during flood season the water pressure at the curve was much higher than that at the straight area. High water pressure can cause higher water content at the curve. Meanwhile, the curved levee is in essence a breach-sealing portion of levee. Hence, the frost-thaw damage of revetment and differential settlement of pavement are more likely to occur during winter. Damage of revetment can aggravate the erosion at the curve while differential settlement can induce the transverse fracture. These findings can provide a reference for reasonable differential settlement control as well as instruction of protective measures.