Computational fluid dynamics modelling of landslide generated water waves

This paper describes the application of detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate the formation and propagation of waves generated by the impact of landslide material with water. The problem is schematised as a multiphase–multicomponent fluid flow: compressible air, water and transported alluvial material. The landslide simulation is performed by means of a hybrid approach: as a rigid solid body slipping down along an inclined slope until it starts penetrating the water body. The CFD model solves the Navier–Stokes equations with the RNG k-ɛ turbulence closure scheme and the volume of fluid multiphase method, which maintains the interface as a sharp front. The governing equations are solved using the commercial CFD code, FLUENT. The computed results are compared with experimental data reported in the literature. The model is then applied to simulate the 1958 Lituya bay Tsunami event with a 2D a simplified geometry and the results are compared to others found in literature.