Abstract: Due to the serious consequences of dike break, researchers all over the world have paid great attention to dike-break flood and scouring. In this paper, we made a review on dike-break flood and scouring from aspects of theoretical research, mathematical model, and physical model test. We summarized the development, research progress, and achievements in this regard, and by depicting the advantages and shortcomings of the aforementioned three research approaches, we reckon that single approach does not meet current requirements on the study anymore. Developing a comprehensive research method integrating various approaches with wide application scope, high simulation precision could be a crucial direction for future research. Moreover, theoretical research should be strengthened, and development on monitoring instruments should be also intensified to offer technical support for flood control and disaster prevention.

Key words: dike-break flood, scouring, theoretical research, mathematical simulation, physical model test