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Prediction of impact force of debris flows based on distribution and size of particles

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Abstract

A debris flow is a solid–liquid two-phase flow; the composition and gradation of the particles within have a significant influence on its impact force. This paper proposes a new method for studying the impact force according to the composition of a debris flow based on analysis of existing calculation methods. The impact force is divided into three parts: (1) the dynamic pressure provided by the debris flow slurry, which is composed of fine particles and water; (2) the impact force of coarse particles; and (3) the impact force of boulders. This paper analyzes the established formulations used to calculate the impact force by using hydrodynamic theory and contact mechanics to propose a debris flow impact model according to the debris flow type. The results show that the impact force is closely related to the solid volume fraction, composition of particle materials, motion velocity, and depth of a debris flow. Among all the components of the impact force, the boulder impact force is the largest followed by the impact force of coarse particles; the dynamic pressure is minimal.

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Acknowledgments

This research has received financial support from the NSFC (Grant No. 41272346), the STS project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (project No. KFJ-EW-STS-094) and The Research Rlan of Shaanxi Provincial Transport Department.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process, Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

    Siming He, Wei Liu & Xinpo Li

  2. Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

    Siming He, Wei Liu & Xinpo Li

  3. CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chengdu, China

    Siming He

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  1. Siming He
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  2. Wei Liu
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  3. Xinpo Li
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Correspondence to Wei Liu.

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He, S., Liu, W. & Li, X. Prediction of impact force of debris flows based on distribution and size of particles. Environ Earth Sci 75, 298 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-5180-2

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