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2026 Vol.68, Issue 5 Preview Page
Application of DAMBRK-HEC-RAS Coupled Model for Simulating Sediment-Laden Flow due to Agricultural Reservoir Failure

농업용 저수지 붕괴 시 토사 흐름 모의를 위한 DAMBRK-HEC-RAS 연계 모형의 적용성 평가

Seongjae Parka
,
Jihye Kwaka
,
Jihye Kimb
,
Sinae Kima
,
Jaeyoung Ana
,
Suhwan Parkc
,
Seonjae Parkc
,
Moon Seong Kangd†
박 성재a
,
곽 지혜a
,
김 지혜b
,
김 시내a
,
안 재영a
,
박 수환c
,
박 선재c
,
강 문성d†
aPh.D. Student, Department of Rural Systems Engineering, Seoul National University
bResearcher, Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University
cM.S. Student, Department of Rural Systems Engineering, Seoul National University
dProfessor, Department of Rural Systems Engineering, Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute of Green Bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University
† Corresponding author Tel.: +82-000000, Fax: +82-000000 E-mail: mskang@snu.ac.kr
30 September 2026. pp. 29-47
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Abstract

The risk of dam failure in South Korea has been significantly elevated by intensified extreme rainfall and aging earth-fill agricultural reservoirs. The failure of an earth-fill dam releases a significant volume of embankment material into the dam-break flow, altering the rheological properties of the flood wave and causing damage through sediment burial. Therefore, dam-break flood analyses should account for non-Newtonian behavior for earth-fill dam failures. This study constructed a coupled DAMBRK–HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center – River Analysis System) 2D framework to simulate flood waves induced by earth-fill dam failure. Breach outflow and embankment erosion were estimated by DAMBRK. The breach outflow hydrograph was used as an inflow condition for unsteady flow analysis in HEC-RAS 2D, while embankment erosion was used to support the sediment-laden flow assumption. A case study was conducted on an agricultural reservoir that experienced embankment failure due to overtopping during extreme rainfall in August 2020. Flood damage characteristics, including inundation depth, inundation extent, and flood arrival time were compared under varying rheological parameters and fluid assumptions. Compared with the Newtonian model, the non-Newtonian assumption mainly affected flood-wave attenuation after the peak and increased inundation duration. The sensitivity analysis showed that yield stress and consistency index strongly control flood-wave attenuation, while the flow behavior index has a comparatively minor effect. The proposed framework provides a practical basis for downstream flood damage prediction and supports disaster mitigation planning.

Keywords
Dam failure
sediment-laden flow
DAMBRK
HEC-RAS
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국농공학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국농공학회논문집
  • Volume : 68
  • No :5
  • Pages :29-47
  • Received Date : 2026-01-26
  • Revised Date : 2026-06-05
  • Accepted Date : 2026-06-05
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.5389/KSAE.2026.68.5.029
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