scholarly journals Numerical simulation of debris flows

2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Chen ◽  
C F Lee
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Debris Flow ◽  
Numerical Solution ◽  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Landslide Risk ◽  
Lumped Mass ◽  
Runout Distance

A key requirement in the assessment of landslide risk in such densely populated urban areas as Hong Kong consists of the prediction of potential runout distance or the extent of the subsequent debris flow. This paper presents a three-dimensional dynamic model of unsteady gravity-driven debris flow. The Lagrangian Galerkin finite element method is used to determine the nodal velocity and depth of soil column elements within the sliding mass, with the momentum and mass conservation mathematically closed within the soil column elements. The numerical solution also features a lumped mass matrix and a volume-weighted procedure. The method of least squares approximation plays a smoothing role which enhances stability and efficiency of the numerical solution scheme. The nodal elevation during sliding is obtained via a dynamic bilinear interpolation of the elevation function for the base of the sliding mass. Furthermore, the accuracy, robustness, and generality of this method are validated by experimental results. Its application to the Shum Wan Road landslide and the Fei Tsui Road landslide, both of which occurred during a heavy rainstorm in Hong Kong on 13 August 1995 and involved fatalities, gives reasonable results in comparison to the field observations. A variety of rheological constitutive relationships have already been coded in the present program to provide flexibility and adaptability in practical applications.Key words: debris flows, three-dimensional dynamic model, runout distance.

Mitigation of Debris Flows—Research and Practice in Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-243
Author(s):  
Ken K. S. Ho ◽  
Raymond C. H. Koo ◽  
Julian S. H. Kwan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Geotechnical Engineering ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Landslide Risk ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Design Methodologies ◽  
Technical Framework

ABSTRACT Dense urban development on a hilly terrain coupled with intense seasonal rainfall and heterogeneous weathering profiles give rise to acute debris-flow problems in Hong Kong. The Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) of the Hong Kong SAR Government has launched a holistic research and development (R&D) programme and collaborated with various tertiary institutes and professional bodies to support the development of a comprehensive technical framework for managing landslide risk and designing debris-flow mitigation measures. The scope of the technical development work includes compilation of landslide inventories, field studies of debris flows, development and calibration of tools for landslide run-out modelling, back analysis of notable debris flows, physical and numerical modelling of the interaction between debris flows and mitigation measures, formulation of a technical framework for evaluating debris-flow hazards, and development of pragmatic mitigation strategies and design methodologies for debris-flow countermeasures. The work has advanced the technical understanding of debris-flow hazards and transformed the natural terrain landslide risk management practice in Hong Kong. New analytical tools and improved design methodologies are being applied in routine geotechnical engineering practice.

scholarly journals Debris-flow susceptibility assessment through cellular automata modeling: an example from 15–16 December 1999 disaster at Cervinara and San Martino Valle Caudina (Campania, southern Italy)

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 457-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Iovine ◽  
S. Di Gregorio ◽  
V. Lupiano
Keyword(s):  
Cellular Automata ◽  
Debris Flow ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Soil Cover ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Landslide Risk ◽  
Campania Region ◽  
Optimal Values ◽  
Debris Flow Susceptibility

Abstract. On 15–16 December 1999, heavy rainfall severely stroke Campania region (southern Italy), triggering numerous debris flows on the slopes of the San Martino Valle Caudina-Cervinara area. Soil slips originated within the weathered volcaniclastic mantle of soil cover overlying the carbonate skeleton of the massif. Debris slides turned into fast flowing mixtures of matrix and large blocks, downslope eroding the soil cover and increasing their original volume. At the base of the slopes, debris flows impacted on the urban areas, causing victims and severe destruction (Vittori et al., 2000). Starting from a recent study on landslide risk conditions in Campania, carried out by the Regional Authority (PAI –Hydrogeological setting plan, in press), an evaluation of the debris-flow susceptibility has been performed for selected areas of the above mentioned villages. According to that study, such zones would be in fact characterised by the highest risk levels within the administrative boundaries of the same villages ("HR-zones"). Our susceptibility analysis has been performed by applying SCIDDICA S3–hex – a hexagonal Cellular Automata model (von Neumann, 1966), specifically developed for simulating the spatial evolution of debris flows (Iovine et al., 2002). In order to apply the model to a given study area, detailed topographic data and a map of the erodable soil cover overlying the bedrock of the massif must be provided (as input matrices); moreover, extent and location of landslide source must also be given. Real landslides, selected among those triggered on winter 1999, have first been utilised for calibrating SCIDDICA S3–hex and for defining "optimal" values for parameters. Calibration has been carried out with a GIS tool, by quantitatively comparing simulations with actual cases: optimal values correspond to best simulations. Through geological evaluations, source locations of new phenomena have then been hypothesised within the HR-zones. Initial volume for these new cases has been estimated by considering the actual statistics of the 1999 landslides. Finally, by merging the results of simulations, a deterministic susceptibility zonation of the considered area has been obtained. In this paper, aiming at illustrating the potential for debris-flow hazard analyses of the model SCIDDICA S3–hex, a methodological example of susceptibility zonation of the Vallicelle HR-zone is presented.

DTM-based landslide detection using deep learning: A case study in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haojie Wang ◽  
Limin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Digital Terrain Model ◽  
Landslide Inventory ◽  
Landslide Risk ◽  
Visual Interpretation ◽  
Learning Techniques

<p>Landslide detection is an essential component of landslide risk assessment and hazard mitigation. It can be used to produce landslide inventories which are considered as one of the fundamental auxiliary data for regional landslide susceptibility analysis. In order to achieve high landslide interpretation accuracy, visual interpretation is frequently used, but suffers in time efficiency and labour demand. Hence, an automatic landslide detection method utilizing deep learning techniques is implemented in this work to conduct high-accuracy and fast landslide interpretation. As the ground characteristics and terrain features can precisely capture the three-dimensional space form of landslides, high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM) is taken as the data source for landslide detection. A case study in Hong Kong, China is conducted to validate the applicability of deep learning techniques in landslide detection. The case study takes multiple data layers derived from the DTM (e.g., elevation, slope gradient, aspect, etc.) and a local landslide inventory named enhanced natural terrain landslide inventory (ENTLI) as its data sources, and integrates them into a database for learning. Then, a deep learning technique (e.g., convolutional neural network) is used to train models on the database and perform landslide detection. Results of the case study show great performance and capacity of the applied deep learning techniques, which provides valuable references for advancing landslide detection.</p>

scholarly journals Debris flow run-out simulation and analysis using a dynamic model

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Melo ◽  
Theo van Asch ◽  
José L. Zêzere
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Back Analysis ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Central Portugal

Abstract. Only two months after a huge forest fire occurred in the upper part of a valley located in central Portugal, several debris flows were triggered by intense rainfall. The event caused infrastructural and economic damage, although no lives were lost. The present research aims to simulate the run-out of two debris flows that occurred during the event as well as to calculate via back-analysis the rheological parameters and the excess rain involved. Thus, a dynamic model was used, which integrates surface runoff, concentrated erosion along the channels, propagation and deposition of flow material. Afterwards, the model was validated using 32 debris flows triggered during the same event that were not considered for calibration. The rheological and entrainment parameters obtained for the most accurate simulation were then used to perform three scenarios of debris flow run-out on the basin scale. The results were confronted with the existing buildings exposed in the study area and the worst-case scenario showed a potential inundation that may affect 345 buildings. In addition, six streams where debris flow occurred in the past and caused material damage and loss of lives were identified.

scholarly journals Debris-Flow Hazard Assessments: A Practitioner's View

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Jakob
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Extreme Value Statistics ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Hazard Assessments ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Multi Phase ◽  
Debris Flow Hazard

ABSTRACT Substantial advances have been achieved in various aspects of debris-flow hazard assessments over the past decade. These advances include sophisticated ways to date previous events, two- and three-dimensional runout models including multi-phase flows and debris entrainment options, and applications of extreme value statistics to assemble frequency–magnitude analyses. Pertinent questions have remained the same: How often, how big, how fast, how deep, how intense, and how far? Similarly, although major life loss attributable to debris flows can often, but not always, be avoided in developed nations, debris flows remain one of the principal geophysical killers in mountainous terrains. Substantial differences in debris-flow hazard persist between nations. Some rely on a design magnitude associated with a specific return period; others use relationships between intensity and frequency; and some allow for, but do not mandate, in-depth quantitative risk assessments. Differences exist in the management of debris-flow risks, from highly sophisticated and nation-wide applied protocols to retroaction in which catastrophic debris flows occur before they are considered for mitigation. Two factors conspire to challenge future generations of debris-flow researchers, practitioners, and decision makers: Population growth and climate change, which are increasingly manifested by augmenting hydroclimatic extremes. While researchers will undoubtedly finesse future remote sensing, dating, and runout techniques and models, practitioners will need to focus on translating those advances into practical cost-efficient tools and integrating those tools into long-term debris-flow risk management.

Debris-Flow Risk Assessment

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Jakob ◽  
Kris Holm ◽  
Scott McDougall
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Landslide Risk ◽  
Frequency Magnitude

Debris flows are one of the most destructive landslide processes worldwide, given their ubiquity in mountainous areas occupied by human settlement or industrial facilities around the world. Given the episodic nature of debris flows, these hazards are often un- or under-recognized. Three fundamental components of debris-flow risk assessments include frequency-magnitude analysis, numerical scenario modeling, and consequence analysis to estimate the severity of damage and loss. Recent advances in frequency-magnitude analysis take advantage of developments in methods to estimate the age of deposits and size of past and potential future events. Notwithstanding, creating reliable frequency-magnitude relationships is often challenged by practical limitations to investigate and statistically analyze past debris-flow events that are often discontinuous, as well as temporally and spatially censored. To estimate flow runout and destructive potential, several models are used worldwide. Simple empirical models have been developed based on statistical geometric correlations, and two-dimensional and three-dimensional numerical models are commercially available. Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) methods for assessing public safety were developed for the nuclear industry in the 1970s and have been applied to landslide risk in Hong Kong starting in 1998. Debris-flow risk analyses estimate the likelihood of a variety of consequences. Quantitative approaches involve prediction of the annual probability of loss of life to individuals or groups and estimates of annualized economic losses. Recent progress in quantitative debris-flow risk analyses include improved methods to characterize elements at risk within a GIS environment and estimates of their vulnerability to impact. Improvements have also been made in how these risks are communicated to decision makers and stakeholders, including graphic display on conventional and interactive online maps. Substantial limitations remain, including the practical impossibility of estimating every direct and indirect risk associated with debris flows and a shortage of data to estimate vulnerabilities to debris-flow impact. Despite these limitations, quantitative debris-flow risk assessment is becoming a preferred framework for decision makers in some jurisdictions, to compare risks to defined risk tolerance thresholds, support decisions to reduce risk, and quantify the residual risk remaining following implementation of risk reduction measures.

scholarly journals Hazard assessment of debris flows for Leung King Estateof Hong Kong by incorporating GIS with numericalsimulations

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. T. Chau ◽  
K. H. Lo
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Debris Flow ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
Flow Parameters ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Elevation Model

Abstract. As over seventy percent of the land of Hong Kong is mountainous, rainfall-induced debris flows are not uncommon in Hong Kong. The objective of this study is to incorporate numerical simulations of debris flows with GIS to identify potential debris flow hazard areas. To illustrate this approach, the proposed methodology is applied to Leung King Estate in Tuen Mun. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the terrain and the potential debris-flow sources were generated by using GIS to provide the required terrain and flow source data for the numerical simulations. A theoretical model by Takahashi et al. (1992) improved by incorporating a new erosion initiation criterion was used for simulating the runout distances of debris flows. The well-documented 1990 Tsing Shan debris flow, which occurred not too far from Leung King Estate, was used to calibrate most of the flow parameters needed for computer simulations. Based on the simulation results, a potential hazard zone was identified and presented by using GIS. Our proposed hazard map was thus determined by flow dynamics and a deposition mechanism through computer simulations without using any so- called expert opinions, which are bounded to be subjective and biased.

Static and Vibration Analyses of a Three-Dimensional Snake-Like Micropositioning Stage

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Scuor ◽  
Paolo Gallina ◽  
Marco Giovagnoni
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Dynamic Models ◽  
Natural Frequencies ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dynamic Tests ◽  
Lumped Mass ◽  
Simulation Data ◽  
End Effector ◽  
Three Degrees Of Freedom

This paper presets three degrees of freedom (DOF) piezoelectric micropositioning stage. The stage is composed of a stack of piezodisk bender actuators actuated in such a way to prevent the end-effector from rotating; this way the end-effector can only translate along the x, y, and z axes. Thanks to its snake-like configuration, the system is capable of large displacements (of the order of 50 μm) with low driving voltages (of the order of 100 V). Several lumped-mass static and dynamic models of the device have been implemented. Static experimental results, which are in agreement with simulation data, confirmed the performances of the device. A dynamic model showed the natural frequencies of the mechanism. Also dynamic tests have been conducted in order to validate the dynamic model.

scholarly journals Debris flow characteristics and relationships in the Central Spanish Pyrenees

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 683-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Lorente ◽  
S. Beguería ◽  
J. C. Bathurst ◽  
J. M. García-Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Spatial Prediction ◽  
Runout Distance ◽  
Building Models ◽  
Spanish Pyrenees ◽  
Physically Based ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
The Difference

Abstract. Unconfined debris flows (i.e. not in incised channels) are one of the most active geomorphic processes in mountainous areas. Since they can threaten settlements and infrastructure, statistical and physically based procedures have been developed to assess the potential for landslide erosion. In this study, information on debris flow characteristics was obtained in the field to define the debris flow runout distance and to establish relationships between debris flow parameters. Such relationships are needed for building models which allow us to improve the spatial prediction of debris flow hazards. In general, unconfined debris flows triggered in the Flysch Sector of the Central Spanish Pyrenees are of the same order of magnitude as others reported in the literature. The deposition of sediment started at 17.8°, and the runout distance represented 60% of the difference in height between the head of the landslide and the point at which deposition started. The runout distance was relatively well correlated with the volume of sediment.

scholarly journals Simulation of Debris-Flow Runout Near a Construction Site in Korea

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (17) ◽  
pp. 6079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byung-Gon Chae ◽  
Ying-Hsin Wu ◽  
Ko-Fei Liu ◽  
Junghae Choi ◽  
Hyuck-Jin Park
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Landslide Susceptibility ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Flow Path ◽  
Construction Site ◽  
Landslide Prediction ◽  
Runout Distance ◽  
Susceptibility Analysis

This study analyzed landslide susceptibility and numerically simulated the runout distance of debris flows near a construction site in Korea. Landslide susceptibility was based on a landslide prediction map of the study area. In the prediction map, 3.5% of the area had a 70–90% landslide probability, while 0.79% had over 90% probability. Based on the landslide susceptibility analysis, debris flows in four watersheds were simulated to assess possible damage to the construction site. According to the simulations, debris flow in Watershed C approaches to within 9.6 m of the site. Therefore, the construction site could be impacted by debris flow in Watershed C. Although the simulated flows in Watersheds A and D do not directly influence the construction site, they could damage the nearby road and other facilities. The simulations also show that debris runout distance is strongly influenced by the volume of debris in the on-slope source area and by the slope angles along the debris-flow path.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document