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Flow resistance in the transition from dense to dilute granular-fluid flows

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Abstract

Substantial research work has been focusing on the flow resistance of dense granular-fluid geophysical flows, e.g., debris flows. However, the mechanism of flow resistance as the dense debris flows transition to the dilute debris flow range (volumetric solid concentration 60% to 40%) remains an unsolved problem. Based on the accurate measurements of normal/shear stresses and pore fluid pressure at the flume base, we analyze the flow resistance of a series of controlled debris flow model tests, covering the flow regime from friction dominated to viscous/collisional dominated. We find that the flow resistance, excluding the Coulomb frictional component, can be well described by a visco-collisional scaling relationship. The solid–fluid interaction in the dilute range would facilitate a quick rebalance against the gravity driven force in the transient flow condition. Finally, a heuristic model is proposed to unify the flow resistance for dense and dilute debris flows.

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Availability of data and materials

The experimental data is available upon request to the first author (D. Song, drsong@imde.ac.cn).

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41925030, 42077256, and 51809261), CAS “Light of West China” Program, and the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (Grant No. 2020YJ0002). Support from the DDFORS (Dongchuan Debris Flow Observation and Research Station) of Chinese Academy of Sciences is acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China

    D. Song, G. G. D. Zhou & Q. Chen

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    D. Song, G. G. D. Zhou & Q. Chen

  3. School of River and Ocean Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, China

    D. Song

  4. China–Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, CAS-HEC, Islamabad, Pakistan

    G. G. D. Zhou

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Song, D., Zhou, G.G.D. & Chen, Q. Flow resistance in the transition from dense to dilute granular-fluid flows. Granular Matter 23, 73 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-021-01134-1

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