Experimental study on the effects of physical conditions on the interaction between debris flow and baffles
Haiqing Yang, Haque Md. Emdadul, Kanglei Song
Abstract
The gravitational debris flow, such as the agent forming alluvial cones in the mouths of mountain canyons, could bring about devastating disaster to downstream structures in mountainous areas. In the present study, a series of model tests were conducted on the sand and the ceramsite to systematically explore the interaction between debris flow and baffles. During the runout process, the impact force exerted by debris flow was measured by dynamometers. The runout distance, velocity of the flow, and flow depth were monitored by a video camera and a high-speed camera in a real time. The dynamic interaction under different particle sizes of dry granular materials, slop angles, and baffle configurations was simulated. Experimental results show that the smaller size material is favorable for the frictional energy dissipation during the sliding process, giving rise to the smaller runout distance. The present findings provide important references for the debris flow control engineering.