WINDAM: modules to analyze overtopping of earth embankment dams

Windows™ Dam Analysis Modules (WINDAM) is a set of modular software components under development for the analysis of overtopped earth embankments. The initial modules address the routing of floods through reservoirs with dam overtopping and evaluation of the potential for vegetation or riprap to delay or prevent failure of the embankment. A complementary module is developed to analyze the failure of a homogeneous embankment due to erosion caused by the drainage of a storm hydrograph and the water stored in the dam. A research-oriented model is developed to analyze experimental data obtained from embankment breach tests conducted in the United States and Europe. The resulting SIMplified Breach Analysis (SIMBA) model is designed to allow users to easily apply different computational procedures for research and data analysis, and provide the basis for the development of the complementary WINDAM module for breach analysis. The focus of this paper is on the development of these modules and software connecting the modules. Other recently published results describe the hydraulic theory on which these modules are based [1].