Effects of particle breakage on the impact of granular flows against a rigid barrier : centrifuge modelling

Author(s):  
Ka Ho Cheung
2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 1215-1224 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.W.W. Ng ◽  
C.E. Choi ◽  
D.K.H. Cheung ◽  
Y. Cui

Bi-dispersity is a prerequisite for grain-size segregation, which transports the largest particles to the flow front. These large and inertial particles can fragment upon impacting a barrier. The amount of fragmentation during impact strongly influences the force exerted on a rigid barrier. Centrifuge modelling was adopted to replicate the stresses for studying the effects of bi-dispersity in a granular assembly and dynamic fragmentation on the impact force exerted on a model rigid barrier. To study the effects of bi-dispersity, the ratio between the diameters of small and large particles (δs/δl), characterizing the particle-size distribution (PSD), was varied as 0.08, 0.26, and 0.56. The volume fraction of the large particles was kept constant. A δs/δl tending towards unity characterizes inertial flow that exerts sharp impulses, and a diminishing δs/δl characterizes the progressive attenuation of these sharp impulses by the small particles. Flows dominated by grain-contact stresses (δs/δl < 0.26), as characterized by the Savage number, are effective at attenuating dispersive stresses of the large particles, which are responsible for reducing dynamic fragmentation. By contrast, flows dominated by grain-inertial stresses (δs/δl > 0.26) exhibit up to 66% more impulses and 4.3 times more fragmentation. Dynamic fragmentation of bi-disperse flows impacting a rigid barrier can dissipate about 30% of the total flow energy.


Author(s):  
George Robert Goodwin ◽  
Clarence E. Choi ◽  
Chan-Young Yune

Baffle arrays are used to filter boulders from granular flows, such that the impact load exerted on barriers is reduced. However, current guidelines provide limited recommendations on baffle design. In this study, a calibrated Discrete Element Method modelled boulders entrained in a bulk granular assembly interacting with baffles and a terminal rigid barrier. Different baffle spacings relative to the boulder diameter (1 < s/δ < 4) were considered. A ratio of s/δ=1 is recommended for reducing the impact load by up to 80%, whilst s/δ = 4 renders an array of baffles inadequate for filtration. The optimum configuration is a staggered array with three rows of baffles on a horizontal plane in front of a barrier. This layout reduces the peak discharge by up to four times more than a similar array on sloping terrain, compared to channels without baffles. Furthermore, the transition from sloping terrain to a horizontal plane works together with the array of baffles to dissipate flow kinetic energy. On the horizontal plane, baffles attenuate the flow velocity more as the Froude number Fr increases, implying that baffles should be used if high Fr are anticipated. Finally, guidance is provided on estimating load attenuation from boulder filtration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 1968-1978 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.W.W. Ng ◽  
C.E. Choi ◽  
G.R. Goodwin

The impact and pileup mechanisms of unsteady granular flows impacting a rigid barrier are governed by the Froude conditions (Fr). Velocity and depth vary along the length of the flow. There is currently no widely accepted approach for characterizing Fr for impact and runup problems. In this study, a discrete element method (DEM) model was calibrated against a physical flume test. Eighty-six simulations were performed using the DEM model to investigate the equivalent Fr governing pileup height and impact pressure for unsteady single-surge dry granular flows against a rigid barrier. Fr and the grain diameter were varied. Results reveal that Fr within the frontmost 5% of a flow governs both pileup height and impact pressure. Thus, taking frontal velocity and maximum flow depth within the frontmost region is crucial for properly characterizing the runup height and impact load. Consistent characterization of Fr is possible near the longitudinal centre of a flow; the frontmost Fr can then be extrapolated from calibration curves. Results imply that existing studies that predict impact pressure based on nonfrontal Fr values may underestimate impact pressure by a factor of up to 2.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-138
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Sanvitale ◽  
Elisabeth Bowman ◽  
Miguel Angel Cabrera

ABSTRACT Debris flows involve the high-speed downslope motion of rocks, soil, and water. Their high flow velocity and high potential for impact loading make them one of the most hazardous types of gravitational mass flows. This study focused on the roles of particle size grading and degree of fluid saturation on impact behavior of fluid-saturated granular flows on a model rigid barrier in a small-scale flume. The use of a transparent debris-flow model and plane laser-induced fluorescence allowed the motion of particles and fluid within the medium to be examined and tracked using image processing. In this study, experiments were conducted on flows consisting of two uniform and one well-graded particle size gradings at three different fluid contents. The evolution of the velocity profiles, impact load, bed normal pressure, and fluid pore pressure for the different flows were measured and analyzed in order to gain a quantitative comparison of their behavior before, during, and after impact.


Author(s):  
Joseph Hassan ◽  
Guy Nusholtz ◽  
Ke Ding

During a vehicle crash stress waves can be generated at the impact point and propagate through the vehicle structure. The generation of these waves is dependent, in general, on the crash type and, in particular, on the impact contact characteristics. This has consequences with respect to different crash barrier interfaces for vehicle evaluation. The two barriers most commonly used to evaluate the response of a vehicle in a frontal impact are the rigid barrier and the offset deformable barrier. They constitute different crash modes, full frontal and offset. Consequently it would be expected that there are different deformation patterns between the two. However, an additional possible contributor to the difference is that an impact into a rigid barrier generates waves of significantly greater stress than impacts with the deformable one. If stress waves are a significant component of real world final deformation patterns then, the choice of barrier interface and its effective stiffness is critical. To evaluate this conjecture, models of two types of rails each undergoing two different types of impacts, are analyzed using an explicit dynamic finite element code. Results show that the energy perturbation along the rail depends on the barrier type and that the early phase of wave propagation has very little effect on the final deformation pattern. This implies that in the real world conditions, the stress wave propagation along the rail has very little effect on the final deformed shape of the rail.


2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Fernanda Orozco ◽  
Jean-Yves Delenne ◽  
Philippe Sornay ◽  
Farhang Radjai

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Allen ◽  
J. E. Massad ◽  
R. V. Field ◽  
C. W. Dyck

The dynamic response of a radio-frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system to a time-varying electrostatic force is optimized to enhance robustness to variations in material properties and geometry. The device functions as an electrical switch, where an applied voltage is used to close a circuit. The objective is to minimize the severity of the mechanical impact that occurs each time the switch closes because severe impacts have been found to significantly decrease the life of these switches. Previous works have demonstrated that a classical vibro-impact model, a single-degree-of-freedom oscillator subject to mechanical impact with a single rigid barrier, captures the relevant physics adequately. Certain model parameters are described as random variables to represent the significant unit-to-unit variability observed during fabrication and testing of a collection of nominally identical switches; these models for unit-to-unit variability are calibrated to available experimental data. Our objective is to design the shape and duration of the voltage waveform so that impact kinetic energy at switch closure is minimized for the collection of nominally identical switches, subject to design constraints. A voltage waveform designed using a deterministic model for the RF switch is found to perform poorly on the ensemble. An alternative waveform is generated using the proposed optimization procedure with a probabilistic model and is found to decrease the maximum impact velocity by a factor of 2 relative to the waveform designed deterministically. The methodology is also applied to evaluate a design change that reduces the impact velocity further and to predict the effect of fabrication process improvements.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Chen ◽  
Siming He ◽  
Dieter Rickenmann

&lt;p&gt;Geophysical granular &amp;#64258;ows such as rock and snow avalanches, flow-like landslides, debris flows, and pyroclastic &amp;#64258;ows are driven by gravity and often impact on engineering structures located in gullies and slopes as they flow down, generating dynamic impact pressures and causing a major threat to infrastructures. It is necessary to understand the physical mechanism of such granular flows impacting obstacles to improve the design of protective structures and the hazard assessment related to such structures. In this study, the small-scale laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the dynamic impact caused by granular flow around a circular cylinder with variable radius of curvatures and the dynamic impact against a flat wall. Pressure sensors were used to measure the impact pressure of granular flows at both the upstream cylinder surface and at the bottom of the channel. Accelerometers were mounted on the underside of channel to record the seismic signals generated by the granular flows before and during the impact with the obstacle. Flow velocities and flow depths were determined by using high-precision cameras. The results show that a bow shock wave is generated upstream of the cylinder, causing dynamic pressures on both the obstacle and the bottom of the channel. The dimensionless standoff distance of the granular shock wave decreases nonlinearly or almost exponentially with increasing Froude number (Fr) in the range of 5.5 to 11.0. The dimensionless pinch-off distance and dimensionless run-up height grow linearly with increasing Fr, and they were significantly influenced by the radius of curvature of the structure at the stagnation point (RCSSP). The dimensionless impact pressure on the structure surface is sensitive to the RCSSP, while the differences decrease as Fr increases; Seismic signals generated at the underside of the channel and at the top of the cylinder were also recorded to assist in analyzing the effects of RCSSP.&lt;/p&gt;


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