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Visualization of Failure and the Associated Grain-Scale Mechanical Behavior of Granular Soils under Shear using Synchrotron X-Ray Micro-Tomography

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Time-varying force from dense granular avalanches on a wall.

Benoit Chanut¹, Thierry Faug, Mohamed Naaim

¹Cemagref, ETGR, 38402 St. Martin d'Hères, France.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics

|January 15, 2011

Summary

Granular avalanches exert forces on obstacles. A hydrodynamic model accurately predicts peak forces, with a dead zone significantly influencing forces at lower slope angles.

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Area of Science:

Physics
Geophysics
Fluid Dynamics

Background:

Granular avalanches are complex phenomena involving the rapid flow of granular materials.
Understanding the forces exerted by these avalanches on obstacles is crucial for engineering and safety applications.
Previous studies developed models for steady-flow conditions, but transient behaviors require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the transient, time-varying forces exerted by granular avalanches on an obstacle.
To adapt an analytical hydrodynamic model for predicting forces in transient granular flows.
To analyze the influence of slope inclination on the force contributions.

Main Methods:

Studied cohesionless granular avalanches on a rough inclined plane impacting a wall.
Developed and adapted an analytical hydrodynamic model based on depth-averaged momentum conservation.
Compared model predictions with force data from discrete numerical simulations.

Main Results:

A nearly triangular dead zone upstream of the obstacle significantly contributes to the force, especially at low slope inclinations.
The hydrodynamic model accurately predicts the force peak during granular avalanches.
A fitting procedure is necessary to quantify force decrease post-peak, with contributions varying by slope inclination.

Conclusions:

The adapted hydrodynamic model effectively represents transient granular avalanche forces.
The dead zone's contribution to the force is highly dependent on slope inclination.
The model provides insights into the dynamics of granular avalanches impacting obstacles.