A self-designed water level control system was used to simulate the collapse of a red mud dam in a dry storage yard under varying water levels. The study unveiled the distribution patterns of seepage lines

pore water pressure

soil pressure

and crack evolution in red mud dams with varying slope ratios (1:2 and 1:1) under changing water levels. Experimental findings show that the rise of the infiltration line is initially rapid

then slows down

exhibiting a lag effect. The area with the highest pore water pressure beneath the infiltration line also experiences the highest horizontal soil pressure. Under different slope ratios

the reasons for the formation of main cracks are different. When the slope ratio is 1:2

under the combined action of gravity and hydraulic forces

slope cracks are generated due to the formation of a through channel extending from the interior of the red mud dam body to the slope surface. When the slope ratio is 1:1

cracks appear at the dam crest due to the traction effect of the sliding slope below the infiltration line on the upper slope. The stress and seepage fields of red mud dams with different slope ratios were analyzed using the finite element software ABAQUS

revealing the stress and displacement distribution patterns on the dam slope surface.