Research and Application of Critical Failure Paths Identification Method for Dam Risk Analysis

Table 5

Statistics of main failure modes of gravity dams.

Failure modes	Number of cases	Percentage (%)	Reasons
Overtopping	44	33.8	Dam break of the upstream reservoir, heavy rainfall, failure of flood discharge facilities, etc.
Instability failure	22	16.9	Strength weakening of bedrock, curtain damage, scouring, etc.
Structural damage	34	26.2	Earthquake, cracking of dam body, etc.
Other failure modes	16	12.3	War, improper design, poor construction quality, improper management, etc.
Unknown	14	10.8
Sum	130	100