Hazard Assessment of Highways Affected by Debris Flows

Abstract:

Roads often run across various drainage basins in mountain areas which include complex geographic and geomorphic conditions. Highways in these areas have been frequently interrupted by debris flows. Without emergency management planning, such debris flows can lead to extensive life and property loss. Through analyzing the hazard effect modes and damage process along highways, we developed three key indexes, scale of debris flows, deposits on highways and river blockage, to describe the highway disasters quantitatively. According to actual investigation, we proposed new methods to determine the value of hazard indexes. Subsequently, we developed the assessment and mapping methods for highways safety by using hazard degree of debris flow. The hazard is graded into 4 grades as extreme low, low hazard, medium and high hazard level. Through applying this method, a case study was carried out on national highway G318 in Xiqu River basin. After analyzing debris flow hazard for the whole highway, the assessment results are consistent with the field surveyed data which indicate actual disaster situation. This hazard method can objectively evaluate the debris-flow hazard along highways, and is useful for highway reconstruction in mountainous areas suffering from active debris flows.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 501-504)
• Pages: 2455-2462
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.501-504.2455
• Online since: January 2014
• Authors: Qiang Zou*
• Keywords: Debris Flow, Hazard Analysis, Highway Safety, Sichuan-Tibet Highway

References

[1] C. M. Fowlie Cashman. Debris flow and road design in debris flow-affected area. Beijing: China Communications Press (1957).

[2] S.D. Ellen, G. F. Wieczorek. Landslides, Floods, and Marine Effects of the Storm of January 3-5, 1982, in the San Francisco Bay Region, California. California: US Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1434 (1988).

DOI: 10.3133/pp1434

[3] A. Carrara, M. Cardinali, R. Detti, et al. GIS techniques and statistical models in evaluating landslide hazard. Earth surface processes and landforms, 16(5) (1991) pp.427-445.

DOI: 10.1002/esp.3290160505

[4] E. Hoek and J.W. Bray. Rock Slope Engineering, Revised Second Edition. The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London (1977).

[5] R. Hollingsworth and G.S. Kovacs. Soil slumps and debris flows: prediction and protection. Bulletin of the Association of Engineering Geologists, 38(1) (1981) pp.17-28.

DOI: 10.2113/gseegeosci.xviii.1.17

[6] Z.L. Zhong, C.H. Wang, H. Xie, et al. The catalog database and regional law of debris flow and landslide of China. Chengdu: Sichuan Science Technology Press (1988).

[7] M. Saito. Forecasting time of slope failure by tertiary creep. Proc. Seventh Int. Conf. On soil mech. and found. Eng. Montreal, 1969 pp.667-683.

[8] R. M. Iverson. The physics of debris flow. Review of Geophysics, 35(3) (1997) pp.245-296.

[9] T. Takahashi, N. Hajime, H. Sato. Hazard assessment of debris flow alluvial fan. Annuals, DPRI, 31 (B-2) (1988) pp.655-676.

[10] C.L. Chen. General solution for visoplastic of debris flow. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, (ASCE), 114(3) (1988) pp.259-282.

[11] O. Hunger, C.G. Morgan, D.F. Van Dine, et al. Debris flow defenses in British Columbia. Geological Society of America Reviews in Engineering Geology, 7 (1987) pp.201-222.

[12] J.L. Peatross. A morphometric study of slop stability controls in Central Virginia. University of Virginia (1986).

[13] T. C. Smith. A method for mapping relative susceptibility to debris flows, with an example from San Mateo County, California. In: Ellen, S.D., Wieczorek, G.F. (Eds. ), Landslides, Floods, and Marine Effects of the Storm of January 3–5, 1982, in San Francisco Bay Region, California. US Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1434 (1988).

DOI: 10.3133/pp1434

[14] L. Olivier. Example of hazard assessment and landuse planning in Switzerland for now avalanches, floods and landslides, Swiss national hydrological and geological survey, Bern (1998).

[15] K. Adachi, K. Tokuyama, A. Nakasuji, et al. Study on judgment of outbreak ability of debris flow. SHIN - SABO, 33(4) (1977) p.7~16.

[16] T. Takahashi. Debris flow on prismatic open channel. Journal of the Hydraulics Division, Proc. ASCE, 106(HY3), (1980) pp.381-396.

DOI: 10.1061/jyceaj.0005381

[17] X. L. Liu and C. Tang. Debris flow hazard assessment. Beijing: Science Press (1995).

[18] P. Cui, K. H. Hu, J. Q. Zhang, et al. Prediction of the debris flow area by combing hydrological and inundation simulation methods. Journal of Mountain Science. 8(1) (2011) p.1–9.

DOI: 10.1007/s11629-011-2040-8

[19] F. Q. Wei, K. H. Hu, J. L. Lopez, et al. Method and its application of the momentum model for debris flow risk zoning. Chinese Science, 48(3) (2003) pp.298-301.

DOI: 10.1360/03tb9126

[20] K. H. Hu and F. Q. Wei. Numerical-simulation-based Debris Flow Risk Zoning. Journal of Natural Disasters, 14(1) (2005) pp.10-14.

[21] P. Cui, L.Z. Xiang and Q. Zou. Risk assessment of highways affected by debris flows in Wenchuan earthquake area. Journal of Mountain Science, 10(2) (2013) p.173–189.

DOI: 10.1007/s11629-013-2575-y

[22] N. S. Chen. Exploration technology of debris flow. Beijing: Science Press (2011).