Dam Malpasset

The dam Malpasset is known for the Catastrophe which it caused the December 2nd 1959 with 21:13 during its rupture making 423 died and disappeared.

Rupture of the dam Malpasset

To 21:13, the hydraulic stopping of Malpasset, built on the river Reyran in the department of the VAr, yields.
A 40 height meters wave (50 million water m³) breaks on the valley to 70 km/h.
It will reach the town of Fréjus 20 minutes later, before being thrown in the sea.
Blocks of stone of 600 tons descend the hill and destroy the district of Malpasset.
The pouring rain which has fallen on the Riviera for a few days is at the origin of the rupture of 5 years the old arch dam hardly (1954-1959).
The assessment very heavy, more than 400 died and disappeared: it is about the largest catastrophe of this kind which ever touched France.

Construction

The goal of this stopping was to irrigate the plain close to Fréjus by retaining water of the Reyran, a Torrent which runs only in winter.
It is a stopping of the type arch dam and its design was entrusted to André Coyne, a specialist in the stopping arches. The setting in water is done in 1954.

Sequence

During the years which precede the event, it was not possible to fill the stopping because:

of the lack of rains,
of problems of expropriation.

On the other hand, in 1959, the rains are torrential.

Other characteristics

Length of the vault: 222 Mr.
Thickness at the top: 1,5 Mr.
Base width: 6,82 Mr.
Width of the crest gate of raw: 30 m

References

J. Ram, dam Malpasset (July 1967), re-examined Work , n°389, pp. 3-63
max Herzog, Elementare Talsperrenstatik (2000), ED. W. Neuwied, 194 p., ISBN 3-80412-070-9

Others

With the museum of history of Frejus one can view a film on the catastrophe (57 minutes).

External bonds

a more complete article
a study of two pupils of the school of the mines of Nancy
Dam Malpasset on Gate Frejus
Dam Malpasset
Dam Malpasset on Forum Julii

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