The collapse of the Sella Zerbino gravity dam

•The mechanics of the collapse of the Sella Zerbino dam is analyzed focusing on the stability of the structure.•The water pressure underneath the dam is evaluated according to a steady state and an unsteady state analysis.•The sequence of dam blocks collapse is determined.

When a severe flood wave completely filled the Ortiglieto reservoir on August 13, 1935, the 14 m high “Sella Zerbino” secondary dam failed catastrophically causing > 100 casualties. Both of the dams, Sella Zerbino-Zerbino Saddle and Bric Zerbino-Zerbino Peak (Fig. 1) were overtopped but only the Sella Zerbino failed whereas the main barrage did not suffer any damage. The lawsuit that followed this tragic event ended with a full acquittal of the dam's designers since the plaintiff experts succeeded in demonstrating that the collapse was due to an extreme rainfall storm of unpredictable intensity. The case was then officially closed and still today the failure of the Sella Zerbino dam is attributed to the unpredictable hydrological event. Recently, Natale and Petaccia (2013) re-examined the case assessing the capacity of the flood spillways which equipped the Bric Zerbino dam. This paper thoroughly reviews the mechanics of the collapse of the Sella Zerbino dam focusing on the stability of the structure. The water pressure underneath the dam and the poor quality of the foundation rock is believed to have played a major role in the sequence of events that ended in the collapse of the barrage.