Characteristics of viscous debris flow in a drainage channel with an energy dissipation structure

A new type of drainage channel with an energy dissipation structure has been proposed based on previous engineering experiences and practical requirements for hazard mitigation in earthquakeaffected areas. Experimental studies were performed to determine the characteristics of viscous debris flow in a drainage channel of this type with a slope of 15%. The velocity and depth of the viscous debris flow were measured, processed, and subsequently used to characterize the viscous debris flow in the drainage channel. Observations of this experiment showed that the surface of the viscous debris flow in a smooth drainage channel was smoother than that of a similar debris flow passing through the energy dissipation section in a channel of the new type studied here. However, the flow patterns in the two types of channels were similar at other points. These experimental results show that the depth of the viscous debris flow downstream of the energy dissipation structure increased gradually with the length of the energy dissipation structure. In addition, in the smooth channel, the viscous debris-flow velocity downstream of the energy dissipation structure decreased gradually with the length of the energy dissipation structure. Furthermore, the viscous debris-flow depth and velocity were slightly affected by variations in the width of the energy dissipation structure when the channel slope was 15%. Finally, the energy dissipation ratio increased gradually as the length and width of the energy dissipation structure increased; the maximum energy dissipation ratio observed was 62.9% (where B = 0.6 m and L/w = 6.0).     

Dynamics of loose granular flow and its subsequent deposition in a narrow mountainous river

A large amount of loose debris materials were deposited on the slope of mountainous areas after the 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. During and after the earthquake, these loose debris deposits collapsed and slide into valleys or rivers, changing river sediment supply condition and channel morphology. To investigate the mechanisms of granular flow and deposition, the dynamics of slope failure and sediment transportation in typical mountainous rivers of different intersection angles were analyzed with a coupling model of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method(CFD-DEM). The numerical results show that the change of intersection angle between the granular flow flume and the river channel can affect the deposit geometry and the fluid flow field significantly. As the intersection angle increases, the granular velocity perpendicular to the river channel increases, while the granular velocity parallel to the river channel decreases gradually. Compared to the test of dry granular flow, the CFD-DEM coupling tests show much higher granular velocity and larger volume of sediments entrained in the river. Due to the river flow, particles located at the edge of the deposition will move downstream gradually and the main section of sediments deposition moves from the center to the edge of the river channel. As a result, sediment supply in the downstream river will distribute unevenly. Under the erosion of fluid flow, the proportion of fine particles increases, while the proportion of coarse particles decreases gradually in the sediment deposition. The build-up of accumulated sediment mass will cause a significant increase in water level in the river channel, thus creating serious flooding hazard in mountainous rivers.     

The properties of dilute debris flow and hyper-concentrated flow in different flow regimes in open channels

Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV) technique was used to test the analogues of hyperconcentrated flow and dilute debris flow in an open flume. Flow fields, velocity profiles and turbulent parameters were obtained under different conditions. Results show that the flow regime depends on coarse grain concentration. Slurry with high fine grain concentration but lacking of coarse grains behaves as a laminar flow. Dilute debris flows containing coarse grains are generally turbulent flows. Streamlines are parallel and velocity values are large in laminar flows. However, in turbulent flows the velocity diminishes in line with the intense mixing of liquid and eddies occurring. The velocity profiles of laminar flow accord with the parabolic distribution law. When the flow is in a transitional regime, velocity profiles deviate slightly from the parabolic law. Turbulent flow has an approximately uniform distribution of velocity and turbulent kinetic energy. The ratio of turbulent kinetic energy to the kinetic energy of time-averaged flow is the internal cause determining the flow regime: laminar flow(k/K0.1); transitional flow(0.1 k/K1); and turbulent flow(k/K1). Turbulent kinetic energy firstly increases with increasing coarse grain concentration and then decreases owing to the suppression of turbulence by the high concentration of coarse grains. This variation is also influenced by coarse grain size and channel slope. The results contribute to the modeling of debris flow and hyperconcentrated flow.     

Deposition Morphology of Non-homogeneous Debris Flow and Its Energy Characteristics

Non-homogeneous two-phase debris flows are widely found in the western mountainous regions of China. To investigate the characteristics of the debris flow deposition process related to the morphology and extent of the debris fan, a series of physical experiments were carried out using an experimental flume. Some useful relationships were obtained to link the flow velocity with the geometric characteristics of deposition morphology and the corresponding area or volume. Based on these, some expressions about energy dissipation process in both the transport-deposition zone and deposition zone are presented, and improved equations describing solidliquid two-phase energy transformations in the specific deposition zone are also established. These results provide a basis for further investigating the underlying mechanisms of non-homogeneous debris flows, based upon which effective disaster control measures can be undertaken.     

Measuring the internal velocity of debris flows using impact pressure detecting in the flume experiment

Measuring the internal velocity of debris flows is very important for debris flow dynamics research and designing debris flow control works. However, there is no appropriate method for measuring the internal velocity because of the destructive power of debris flow process. In this paper, we address this problem by using the relationship between velocity and kinetic pressure, as described by surface velocity and surface kinetic pressure data. Kinetic pressure is the difference of impact pressure and static pressure. The former is detected by force sensors installed in the flow direction at the sampling section. Observations show that static pressure can be computed using the formula for static water pressure by simply substituting water density for debris flow density. We describe the relationship between surface velocity and surface kinetic pressure using data from seven laboratory flume experiments. It is consistent with the relationship for single phase flow, which is the measurement principle of the Pitot tube.     

Effects of river flow velocity on the formation of landslide dams

Natural dams are formed when landslides are triggered by heavy rainfall during extreme weather events in the mountainous areas of Taiwan.During landslide debris movement, two processes occur simultaneously: the movement of landslide debris from a slope onto the riverbed and the erosion of the debris under the action of high-velocity river flow. When the rate of landslide deposition in a river channel is higher than the rate of landslide debris erosion by the river flow, the landslide forms a natural dam by blocking the river channel. In this study, the effects of the rates of river flow erosion and landslide deposition(termed the erosive capacity and depositional capacity, respectively) on the formation of natural dams are quantified using a physics-based approach and are tested using a scaled physical model.We define a dimensionless velocity index vde as the ratio between the depositional capacity of landslide debris(vd) and the erosive capacity of water flow(ve).The experimental test results show that a landslidedam forms when landslide debris moves at high velocity into a river channel where the river-flow velocity is low, that is, the dimensionless velocity index vde 54. Landslide debris will not have sufficient depositional capacity to block stream flow when the dimensionless velocity index vde 47. The depositional capacity of a landslide can be determined from the slope angle and the friction of the sliding surface, while the erosive capacity of a dam can be determined using river flow velocity and rainfall conditions. The methodology described in this paper was applied to seven landslide dams that formed in Taiwan on 8 August 2009 during Typhoon Morakot,the Tangjiashan landslide dam case, and the YingxiuWolong highway K24 landslide case. The dimensionless velocity index presented in this paper can be used before a rainstorm event occurs to determine if the formation of a landslide dam is possible.     

Natural consolidation characteristics of viscous debris flow deposition

Pore water pressure and water content are important indicators to both deposition and consolidation of debris flows, enabling a direct assessment of consolidation degree. This article gained a more comprehensive understanding about the entire consolidation process and focused on exploring pore water pressure and volumetric water content variations of the deposit body during natural consolidation under different conditions taking the viscous debris flow mass as a study subject and by flume experiments. The results indicate that, as the color of the debris changed from initial dark green to grayish-white color, the initial deposit thickness declined by 3% and 2.8% over a permeable and impermeable sand bed, respectively. A positive correlation was observed between pore water pressure and depth in the deposit for both scenarios, with deeper depths being related to greater pore water pressure. For the permeable environment, the average dissipation rate of pore water pressure measured at depths of 0.10 m and 0.05 m were 0.0172 Pa/d and 0.0144 Pa/d, respectively, showing a positivechanging trend with increasing depth. Under impermeable conditions, the average dissipation rates at different depths were similar, while the volumetric water content in the deposit had a positive correlation with depth. The reduction of water content in the deposit accelerated with depth under impermeable sand bed boundary conditions, but was not considerably correlated with depth under permeable sand bed boundary conditions. However, the amount of discharged water from the deposit was greater and consolidation occurred faster in permeable conditions. This indicates that the permeability of the boundary sand bed has a significant impact on the progress of consolidation. This research demonstrates that pore water and pressure dissipations are present during the entire viscous debris consolidation process. Contrasting with dilute flows, pore pressure dissipation in viscous flows cannot be completed in a matter of minutes or even hours, requiring longer completion time — 3 to 5 days and even more. Additionally, the dissipation of the pore water pressure lagged the reduction of the water content. During the experiment, the dissipation rate fluctuated substantially, indicating a close relationship betweenthe dissipation process and the physical properties of broadly graded soils.     

Numerical investigation of effects of “baffles-deceleration strip” hybrid system on rock avalanches

Arrays of baffles are usually installed in front of protection site to attenuate the flow energy of rock avalanches in mountainous areas. Optimization design is crucial for efficiency promotion in hazard energy dissipation engineering. In this study, a deceleration strip was added in the baffles protection system to optimize the traditional baffles system. The effects of the "baffles-deceleration strip" hybrid protection system was discussed in detail with the nails number and nails angle. This study presents details of numerical experiments using the discreteelement method(DEM). The effect of the optimization of hybrid protection system(nail angle and nail number) were investigated specifically, especially the impact force that avalanches exerted on structures. The results show that the maximum impact forces and kinetic energy of the rock avalanches decreases with the increase of the number and angle of the nail. Moreover, the distance between the toe and the bearing structure(L_m) is also a key factor. The shorter the distance L_m(30 m) is, the higher the maximum impact force are. The longer the distance L_m(70 m) is, the lower the maximum impact force are. Under the same size of the nails, increasing the numbers can enhance the dissipation ability of the hybrid protection system. Meanwhile, increasing itsangle can also enhance the dissipation ability. There are three key ways for nails attenuate rock avalanches:(i) block the fine particles directly;(ii) form the particles bridge between nails and baffles;(iii) dissipate the coarse particles energy directly. The effect of segregation in rock avalanches is crucial for the energy dissipation mechanism, which is a key factor to optimize the traditional baffle system.     

Local scour and the laws of scour pit’s shape downstream of debris flow sabo dam

The erosion shape and the law of development of debris flow sabo dam downstream is a weak part in the study on debris flow erosion. The shape and development of scour pit have an important effect on the stability and safety of debris flow sabo dam, which determines the foundational depth of the dam and the design of protective measures downstream. Study on the scouring law of sabo dam downstream can evaluate the erosion range and reasonably arrange auxiliary protective engineering. Therefore, a series of flume experiments are carried out including different debris flow characteristics （density is varying from 1.5 t/m3 to 2.1 t/m~） and different gully longitudinal slopes. The result shows that the scour pit appears as an oval shape in a plane and deep in the middle while superficial at the ends in the longitudinal section, the position of the maximum depth point moves towards downstream with an increase of flume slope angle. The maximum depth of scour pit is mainly affected by the longitudinal slope of gully, density of debris flow, and the characteristics of gully composition （particle size and the viscosity of soil）. The result also indicates that the viscosity of soil will weaken the erosion extent. The interior slopes of scour pit are different between the upstream and the downstream, and the downstream slope is smaller than the upper one. For the viscous and non-viscous sands with the same distribution of gradation, the interior slope of non- viscous sand is smaller than the viscous sand.According to tbe regression analysis on the experimental data, the quantitative relationship between the interior slope of scour pit, slope of repose under water and the longitudinal slope of gully is established and it can be used to calculate the interior slope of scour pit. The results can provide the basis for the parameter design of the debris flow control engineering foundation.     

Experimental study of entrainment behavior of debris flow over channel inflexion points

On-spot observation and field reconnaissance of debris flows have revealed that inflexion points in the longitudinal profile of a movable channel may easily become unstable points that significantly affect their entrainment behavior. In this study, small-scale flume experiments were performed to investigate the entrainment characteristics of debris flows over two types of inflexion points, namely, a convex point, which has an upslope gradient that is less than the downslope gradient; and a concave point, which has an upslope gradient that is greater than the downslope gradient. It was observed that when debris flowed over a convex point, the entrainment developed gradually and progressively from the convex point in the downstream direction, and the primary control factors were the slope gradient and friction angle. Conversely, when debris flowed over a concave point, the entrainment was characterized by impacting and impinging erosion rather than traditional hydraulic erosion, and the impingement angle of the flow significantly determined the maximum erosion depth and outflow exit angle. An empirical relationship between the topography change and the control factors was obtained from the experimental data.     

Mechanism of downcutting erosion of debris flow over a movable bed

The phenomenon of debris flow is intermediate between mass movement and solid transport. Flows can be sudden, severe and destructive. Understanding debris flow erosion processes is the key to providing geomorphic explanations, but progress has been limited because the physical-mechanical properties, movement laws and erosion characteristics are different from those of sediment-laden flow. Using infinite slope theory, this research examines the process and mechanism of downcutting erosion over a moveable bed in a viscous debris flow gully. It focuses specifically on the scour depth and the critical slope for viscous debris flow,and formulas for both calculations are presented.Both scour depth and the critical conditions of downcutting erosion are related to debris flow properties(sand volume concentration and flow depth) and gully properties(longitudinal slope,viscous and internal friction angle of gully materials,and coefficient of kinetic friction). In addition, a series of flume experiments was carried out to characterize the scouring process of debris flows with different properties. The calculated values agreed well with the experimental data. These theoretical formulas are reasonable, and using infinite slope theory to analyze down cutting erosion from viscous debris flow is feasible.     

Effects of a flexible net barrier on the dynamic behaviours and interception of debris flows in mountainous areas

Flexible net barriers are a new type of effective mitigation measure against debris flows in valleys and can affect the kinematic energy and mass of debris flows. Here, ten flume tests were performed to study the dynamic behaviours of debris flows with differences in volumes, concentrations (solid volume fraction), and travel distances after interception by a uniform flexible net barrier. A high-speed camera was used to monitor the whole test process, and their dynamic behaviours were recorded. A preliminary computational framework on energy conversion is proposed according to the deposition mechanisms and outflow of debris flow under the effects of the flexible net barrier. The experimental results show that the dynamic interaction process between a debris flow and the flexible net barrier can be divided into two stages: (a) the two-phase impact of the leading edge of the debris flow with the net and (b) collision and friction between the body of the debris flow and intercepted debris material. The approach velocity of a debris flow decreases sharply (a maximum of 63%) after the interception by the net barrier, and the mass ratio of the debris material being intercepted and the kinetic energy ratio of the debris material being absorbed by the net barrier are close due to the limited interception efficiency of the flexible net barrier, which is believed to be related to the flexibility. The energy ratio of outflow is relative small despite the large permeability of the flexible net barrier.     

Numerical analysis of emergency river restoration scheme for Qingping mega debris flow

The mega debris flow occurred on August 13 th 2010 in Qingping town,China(hereafter called ’8.13’ Debris Flow) have done great damage to the local habitants as well as to the re-construction projects in the quake-hit areas,and the channel-fill deposit problem caused by the debris flow was the most destructive.Moreover,it is of high possibility that an even severe deposit problem would reappear and result in worse consequences.In order to maximize risk reduction of this problem,relevant departments of the government established a series of emergency river restoration schemes,for which the numerical analysis is an important procedure to evaluate and determine the optimized one.This study presents a numerical analysis by applying a twodimensional debris flow model combined with a relevant water-sediment model to simulate the deposit during the progress of the debris flow,and to calculate and analyze the river flow field under both the present condition and different restoration conditions.The results show that the debris flow model,which takes the confluence of the Wenjia Gully to the main river into account,could simulate the deposit process quite well.In the reproduced debris flow from the simulation of the ’8.13’ Debris Flow,the original river flow path has switched to a relatively lower place just along the right bank with a high speed of near 7m.s-1 after being blocked by the deposit,which is highly hazardous.To prevent this hazard,a recommended scheme is derived through inter-comparison of different restoration conditions.It shows that the recommended scheme is able to reduce the water level and as well to regulate the flow path.Based on the given conditions of the mainstream and the tributary confluence for the simulated ’8.13’ Debris Flow,when encountering a debris flow with deposit volume less than 0.5 million m3,the river channel can endure a 20-year return flood;however,when the deposit volume increases to 2 million m3,the flood capacity of the river will be greatly impacted and the scheme becomes invalid.The recommended scheme supported by the present study has been applied to the emergency river restoration after this mega-debris flow.     

The siltation of debris flow behind check dam in the midstream of Bailong River

Siltation gradient and siltation length are important parameters for designing gravity check dams for debris flows, which directly affect the accuracy of estimates of interception capacity. At present, siltation gradient calculations are based primarily on empirical values, and range from 0.4 to 0.95 times the channel slope coefficient. The middle reaches of the Bailong River are one of the four areas in China that are most severely affected by debris flow hazards. Gravity dams are widely employed in this mountainous area. However, field studies of their capacity are lacking. In this paper, the operations of check dams were investigated. Based on field investigation results and theoretical analysis, calculations for siltation gradient, siltation length, and dam storage capacity are established. The impact of debris flow density, channel slope, and particle size weight percentages are discussed. The calculations show that the theoretical values for siltation gradient are consistent with measured values with 83.6% accuracy; and theoretical values of siltation length are consistent with measured values with 91.6% accuracy. The results of this research are an important reference for optimal height and spacing of dams, estimation of dam storage capacity, and disaster prevention.     

Characteristics of a drainage channel with staggered indented sills for controlling debris flows

The characteristics of a new type of drainage channel with staggered indented sills for controlling debris flows were studied. The intermediate fluid in the non-viscous debris flow exhibited a helical movement, whereas the fluid near the sidewall had a stop-start movement pattern; the viscous debris flow exhibited a stable structure between the indented sills. The experimental results indicate that the mean velocity of the debris flow increased with increasing channel gradients, and the debris flow velocity was slightly affected by the angle of the sills. The average velocity of the non-viscous debris flow increased in the range of(0.5–1.5) interval between the indented sills, whereas the average velocity of the viscous debris flow increased initially and then decreased in the range of(0.75–1.25) interval between the indented sills. The depth of the non-viscous debris flow tended to gradually increase as the channel gradients increased, whereas the depth of the viscous debris flow gradually decreased as the channel gradients increased. When the discharge of the debris flow was constant, the angle and the interval between the indented sills had a slight effect on the depth of the viscous debris flow, whereas the depth of the non-viscous debris flow exhibited a different trend, as the sill angles and intervals were varied.     

The disastrous 23 July 2009 debris flow in Xiangshui Gully, Kangding County, Southwestern China

On 23 July 2009, a catastrophic debris flows were triggered by heavy rainfall in Xiangshui gully, Kangding county, southwestern China. This debris flow originating shortly after a rainstorm with an intensity of 28 mm per hour transported a total volume of more than 480×103 m3 debris, depositing the poorly sorted sediment including boulders up to 2-3 m in diameter both onto an existing debris fans and into the river. Our primary objective for this study was to analyze the characteristics of the triggering ra...     

Mutual Interference of Two Debris Flow Deposits Delivered in a Downstream River Reach

We investigate experimentally the depositions of two contiguous debris flows flowing into a main river reach.The aim of the present experimental research is to analyze the geometry and the mutual interactions of debris flow deposits conveyed by these tributaries in the main channel.A set of 19 experiments has been conducted considering three values of the confluence angle,two slopes of the tributary,and three different triggering conditions（debris flows occurring simultaneously in the tributaries,or occurring first either in the upstream or in the downstream tributary）.The flow rate along the main channel was always kept constant.During each experiment the two tributaries had the same slope and confluence angle.The analysis of the data collected during the experimental tests indicates that the volume of the debris fan is mainly controlled by the slope angle,as expected,while the shape of the debris deposit is strongly influenced by the confluence angle.Moreover,in the case of multiple debris flows,the deposit shape is sensitive to the triggering conditions.Critical index for damming formation available in literature has been considered and applied to the present case,and,on the basis of the collected data,considerations about possible extension of such indexes to the case of multiple confluences are finally proposed.     

Types and Causes of Debris Flow Damage to Drainage Channels in the Wenchuan Earthquake Area

Debris flows are among the most common geological disasters in China,and have been particularly frequent in Sichuan Province since the Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008.The construction of debris flow drainage channels is a countermeasure used to distribute debris flow fans,and these channels play a critical role in the mitigation and prevention of damage resulting from debris flows.Under field conditions,the useful life of drainage channels can be greatly shortened as a result of strong abrasions to the drainage structure caused by the debris flow.Field investigations have shown that the types of damage to drainage channels include（a） erosion caused by hyper-concentrated silt flow,（b） impact fractures and foundation scour at the groundsills of the drainage channel,（c） destruction of the drainage channel outlet,and（d） destruction of the drainage channel caused by debris flow abrasion.In addition,based on the destruction of the drainage channel during the debris flow drainage process,a new type of drainage channel with energy dissipation components was proposed and applied in a steep,narrow gully for debris flow mitigation.Moreover,design and engineering repair recommendations for drainage channels are provided as a reference for repairing the damage to the channel.The results can provide an important reference for the effective repair and optimal design of drainage channels.     

Deposition pattern of stony and muddy debris flow at the confluence area

Debris flow fan affects the river profile and landscape evolution.The propagation of multiple debris flows along a river can cause inundation and breaching risk,which can be exemplified by the Min River after the Wenchuan earthquake,Sichuan province,China.In this work,large flume tests were conducted to examine the interactions between debris flows and water current with the fan geometry,momentum,runout distance,deposited width,the relative water level upstream and dominated stress.The results reveal that stony flow commonly travels at a high speed and forms a long rectangle shape fan,while the muddy flow generally travels at a low speed and forms a fan-shaped depositional area.The stony flow can block a river even when the momentum is close to the water current;the muddy flow can block a river when the momentum is lower than that of water current.In case of complete river damming,the relative water level upstream indicates that the inundation risk from the muddy flow damming river would be higher than the inundation risk of stony flow.The diversion ratio of muddy flow decreases as damming ratio.Comparison of dimensionless numbers reveals that stony flow is dominated by grain collision stress combined with turbulent mixing stress,while the muddy flow is dominated by viscous shear stress over friction stress.The fan geometry,damming ratio,diversion ratio,and the dominated stress all together indicate that stony flow strongly interacts with water current while the muddy flow does not.The results can be helpful for understanding the physical interactions between water current and various debris flows,and debris flow dynamics at the channel confluence area.     

Mass-front velocity of dry granular flows influenced by the angle of the slope to the runout plane and particle size gradation

The mass-front velocities of granular flows results from the joint action of particle size gradations and the underlying surfaces.However,because of the complexity of friction during flow movement,details such as the slope-toe impedance effects and momentum-transfer mechanisms have not been completely explained by theoretical analyses,numerical simulations,or field investigations.To study the mass-front velocity of dry granular flows influenced by the angle of the slope to the runout plane and particle size gradations we conducted model experiments that recorded the motion of rapid and long-runout rockslides or avalanches.Flume tests were conducted using slope angles of 25°,35°,45°,and 55° and three particle size gradations.The resulting mass-front motions consisted of three stages:acceleration,velocity maintenance,and deceleration.The existing methods of velocity prediction could not explain the slowing effect of the slope toe or the momentum-transfer steady velocity stage.When the slope angle increased from 25° to 55°,the mass-front velocities dropped significantly to between 44.4% and59.6% of the peak velocities and energy lossesincreased from 69.1% to 83.7% of the initial,respectively.The velocity maintenance stages occurred after the slope-toe and mass-front velocity fluctuations.During this stage,travel distances increased as the angles increased,but the average velocity was greatest at 45°.At a slope angle of 45°,as the median particle size increased,energy loss around the slope toe decreased,the efficiency of momentum transfer increased,and the distance of the velocity maintenance stage increased.We presented an improved average velocity formula for granular flow and a geometrical model of the energy along the flow line.