scholarly journals Impact Forces and Energy of Flow-like Landslides Against Protection Barriers: a New MPM-validated Empirical Formulation

Author(s):  
Angela Di Perna ◽  
Sabatino Cuomo ◽  
Mario Martinelli

Abstract Full understanding the interaction mechanisms between flow-like landslides and the impacted protection structures is an open issue. In fact, while researchers have used several approaches, from experimental to numerical, it is true that the adequate assessment of the hydromechanical behaviour of the landslide body requires both a multiphase and large deformation approach.This paper firstly proposes a conceptual framework for a specific type of protection structure, namely a rigid barrier fixed to the base ground. Two different approaches are proposed: i) an advanced hydro-mechanical numerical model based on Material Point Method is tested in simulating the whole complex landslide-structure-interaction mechanism(s), ii) a more simplified empirical model is casted to estimate the impact force and the time evolution of kinetic energy. The calibration and validation of the empirical formulation are pursued, respectively, based on the MPM numerical results, and referring to a large dataset of field evidence for the peak impact pressure. Finally, the performance of the newly proposed empirical method is compared to the methods available in the literature and its advantages are outlined.

Author(s):  
Sabatino Cuomo ◽  
Angela Di Perna ◽  
Mario Martinelli

The study on impact mechanisms of flow-like landslides against structures is still an open issue in the scientific literature. Many researchers have employed so far either experiments or numerical methods, but the evaluation of the impact forces on mitigation obstacles remains difficult especially if the solid-fluid interaction within the flow is considered. This study shows how advanced numerical tools, such as Material Point Method, may be used in simulating those complex processes. The simulations are carried out for two well documented laboratory tests: a dry granular flow impacting a rigid wall under different geometries and testing conditions in a small-scaled flume and a saturated flow with complex propagation pattern in a centrifuge apparatus. The numerical modelling is validated against the observations and then used to explore the response of different flows impacting rigid structures in other conditions than in the experiments. The soil-fluid interaction influences the type of impact mechanism, the kinematics of the flow, and the space-time trend of the impact pressure against the structure.


Author(s):  
Alessandro Leonardi ◽  
Marina Pirulli ◽  
Monica Barbero ◽  
Fabrizio Barpi ◽  
Mauro Borri-Brunetto ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Debris flows are one of the most complex and devastating natural phenomena, and they affect mountainous areas throughout the world. Structural measures are currently adopted to mitigate the related hazard in urbanized areas. However, their design requires an estimate of the impact force, which is an open issue. The numerous formulae proposed in the literature require the assignment of empirical coefficients and an evaluation of the kinematic characteristics of the incoming flow. Both are generally not known a priori. In this article, we present the Grand Valey torrent site (Italian Alps). A monitoring system made up of strain gauges was installed on a filter barrier at the site, allowing the evaluation of impact forces. The system provides pivotal information for calibrating impact formulae. Two debris flows occurred during the monitoring period. We present the interpretation of videos, impact measurements, and the results of numerical analyses. The combined analysis allows a back calculation of the events in terms of forces, flow depth, and velocity. Thus, we investigate the applicability of the impact formulae suggested in the literature and of the recommended empirical coefficients. The results highlight that hydrostatic effects dominated the impact during the first event, while hydrodynamic effects prevailed in the second one.


Computation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Chendi Cao ◽  
Mitchell Neilsen

Dam embankment breaches caused by overtopping or internal erosion can impact both life and property downstream. It is important to accurately predict the amount of erosion, peak discharge, and the resulting downstream flow. This paper presents a new model based on the material point method to simulate soil and water interaction and predict failure rate parameters. The model assumes that the dam consists of a homogeneous embankment constructed with cohesive soil, and water inflow is defined by a hydrograph using other readily available reach routing software. The model uses continuum mixture theory to describe each phase where each species individually obeys the conservation of mass and momentum. A two-grid material point method is used to discretize the governing equations. The Drucker–Prager plastic flow model, combined with a Hencky strain-based hyperelasticity model, is used to compute soil stress. Water is modeled as a weakly compressible fluid. Analysis of the model demonstrates the efficacy of our approach for existing examples of overtopping dam breach, dam failures, and collisions. Simulation results from our model are compared with a physical-based breach model, WinDAM C. The new model can capture water and soil interaction at a finer granularity than WinDAM C. The new model gradually removes the granular material during the breach process. The impact of material properties on the dam breach process is also analyzed.


1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helcio Onusic ◽  
José Augusto P. Campos ◽  
Paulo Sergio P. dos Santos

Author(s):  
Hervé Vicari ◽  
C.W.W. Ng ◽  
Steinar Nordal ◽  
Vikas Thakur ◽  
W.A. Roanga K. De Silva ◽  
...  

The destructive nature of debris flows is mainly caused by flow bulking from entrainment of an erodible channel bed. To arrest these flows, multiple flexible barriers are commonly installed along the predicted flow path. Despite the importance of an erodible bed, its effects are generally ignored when designing barriers. In this study, three unique experiments were carried out in a 28 m-long flume to investigate the impact of a debris flow on both single and dual flexible barriers installed in a channel with a 6 m-long erodible soil bed. Initial debris volumes of 2.5 m<sup>3</sup> and 6 m<sup>3</sup> were modelled. For the test setting adopted, a small upstream flexible barrier before the erodible bed separates the flow into several surges via overflow. The smaller surges reduce bed entrainment by 70% and impact force on the terminal barrier by 94% compared to the case without an upstream flexible barrier. However, debris overflowing the deformed flexible upstream barrier induces a centrifugal force that results in a dynamic pressure coefficient that is up to 2.2 times higher than those recommended in guidelines. This suggests that although compact upstream flexible barriers can be effective for controlling bed entrainment, they should be carefully designed to withstand higher impact forces.


Gut ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delphine Goehrig ◽  
Jérémy Nigri ◽  
Rémi Samain ◽  
Zhichong Wu ◽  
Paola Cappello ◽  
...  

ObjectivePancreatic cancer is associated with an abundant stromal reaction leading to immune escape and tumour growth. This massive stroma drives the immune escape in the tumour. We aimed to study the impact of βig-h3 stromal protein in the modulation of the antitumoural immune response in pancreatic cancer.DesignWe performed studies with p48-Cre;KrasG12D, pdx1-Cre;KrasG12D;Ink4a/Arffl/fl, pdx1-Cre;KrasG12D; p53R172H mice and tumour tissues from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Some transgenic mice were given injections of anti-βig-h3, anti-CD8, anti-PD1 depleting antibodies. Tumour growth as well as modifications in the activation of local immune cells were analysed by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Tissue stiffness was measured by atomic force microscopy.ResultsWe identified βig-h3 stromal-derived protein as a key actor of the immune paracrine interaction mechanism that drives pancreatic cancer. We found that βig-h3 is highly produced by cancer-associated fibroblasts in the stroma of human and mouse. This protein acts directly on tumour-specific CD8+ T cells and F4/80 macrophages. Depleting βig-h3 in vivo reduced tumour growth by enhancing the number of activated CD8+ T cell within the tumour and subsequent apoptotic tumour cells. Furthermore, we found that targeting βig-h3 in established lesions released the tissue tension and functionally reprogrammed F4/80 macrophages in the tumour microenvironment.ConclusionsOur data indicate that targeting stromal extracellular matrix protein βig-h3 improves the antitumoural response and consequently reduces tumour weight. Our findings present βig-h3 as a novel immunological target in pancreatic cancer.


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):  
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.


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