China has the world′ s largest number of high earth- rock dams. While bringing significant benefits

these dams are also posing risks of disasters and even dam failures. Compared with high concrete dams

high earth- rock dams constructed with coarse- grained soil and anti- seepage bodies have low resistance to erosion

and are more prone to overtopping breaches which is triggered by massive floods from extreme precipitation. Furthermore

their breach processes display more complex characteristics of progressive failure. The overtopping-induced breaching process of high earth-rock dams involves intricate coupling effects of water-soil-structure interaction. Elucidating the failure mechanisms of their anti-seepage bodies and dam bodies as well as developing numerical simulation methods for breach progression are critical for scientifically predicting disaster impacts from dam breaches and improving mitigation and prevention strategies. This paper presents a series of innovative achievements in the simulation theory and methods for the overtopping-induced dam breaching process of high earth-rock dams

 which includes the centrifugal model test technology for high earth- rock dam breaching

the overtopping-induced breach mechanisms of high earth-rock dams such as core wall rockfill dams and concrete face rockfill dams

and the numerical simulation methods for the overtopping-induced dam breaching process of high earth-rock dams considering the fluid-solid coupling mechanism. These achievements can provide scientific and technological support for emergency decision-making and disaster prevention and control of high earth-rock dam breach events.