Abstract: The failure of zoned embankment dams poses an immense risk to settlements and infrastructure throughout the world, as shown by recent catastrophic events in Libya (2023) and Sudan (2024). To improve forecasts and emergency planning for such events, we must better understand the failure processes of zoned dams. Unfortunately, the process of zoned dam failure has been scarcely observed at laboratory, field, or prototype scales. Based on recent medium-scale laboratory experiments at ETH Zurich, in which 1 meter tall zoned embankment dams were designed, constructed, and subsequently breached by overtopping, a unique two-stage core failure process has been identified. This finding is the basis for a new method for modelling the failure of zoned embankment dams. The method is implemented in a simple tool designed for use by dam engineers to simulate the failure of any zoned embankment dam, paving the way for reliable risk assessments for zoned embankment dams worldwide.
Bio: Dr. Matthew Halso is a post-doctoral researcher at the ETH Zurich Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology. Matthew earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from ETH Zurich, where he researched the failure of homogeneous and zoned earthen embankment dams, through a combination of laboratory experiments and numerical modeling. He developed two new parametric numerical methods for simplified simulation of embankment dam failure. Matthew is an active member of the Swiss Committee on Dams, as a member of the working group on freeboard and as Vice-President of the Young Professionals group. Matthew holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan in the USA. He previously worked as a civil engineer for the United States Army Corps of Engineers where he modelled flood control infrastructure for the city of New Orleans, a city that is threatened by flooding from the Mississippi River, local precipitation, and hurricane-induced storm surge.